Dependence on fertilizers limits the sustainability of tropical agriculture. Remineralization using rock byproducts offers a solution that is conditioned by the mineralogical–soil interaction. This study evaluated the agronomic and geochemical potential of a gabbro rock byproduct (GRB) as a bulk amendment in yellow maize (Zea mays L. ) cultivation in Atlántico, Colombia. The specific objectives were (1) to characterize the mineralogy and geochemistry of the local GRB; (2) to quantify its neutralizing and fertilizing effect in an acidic Arenosol soil; and (3) to evaluate the biometric response of yellow maize (Zea mays L. ) in a field trial. The trial was conducted in an acidic haplic Arenosol (pH 5. 4) in 2023, with a 70-day cycle, comparing three management systems: M1 (control), M2 (47 Mg·ha−1 GRB, seed type: ICA-109), and M3 (47 Mg·ha−1 GRB, seed type: V-114). The assessed GRB, with 52. 75% SiO2 and 5. 46% CaO, is rich in calcic plagioclase, clinopyroxenes, and zeolites. Application of GRB at 47 Mg·ha−1 in treatment M3 coincided with marked changes in soil properties over the course of the trial, with pH rising from 5. 4 to 6. 4, cation exchange capacity from 5. 0 to 12. 1 cmolc·kg−1, and available phosphorus from 9. 8 to 35. 0 mg·kg−1. Plants in M3 showed statistically significant increases (p < 0. 001) in ear weight (median: 150 g vs. 60. 5 g in M1) and in vegetative development. Because the trial was pseudo-replicated, used a high single-dose “shock-loading” rate, involved different maize genotypes across treatments, and covered only one 70-day cycle, these results should be interpreted as exploratory and site-specific. Even so, they indicate that GRB can act as an effective acidity corrector and slow-release multinutrient source under Arenosol conditions, with relevance for circular-economy strategies. Future work should evaluate agronomically doses, include replicated multi-cycle trials, and incorporate comparative and risk-assessment analyses.
Muñoz-Salas et al. (Mon,) studied this question.