Phytomining to re-establish phosphorus-poor soil conditions for nature restoration on former agricultural land

Aims To restore species-rich grasslands on former agricultural land, typically phosphorus-poor soil conditions need to be re-established. Here we assess the potential of phosphorus extraction by biomass production, i.e. phytomining. We compare two techniques: (i) ‘mowing’, i.e. cutting and removing hay two or three times a year, and (ii) ‘P-mining’, i.e. mowing with yield maximization by adding growth-limiting nutrients other than phosphorus (i.e. nitrogen and potassium).