The high cost of phosphate fertilizers, as well as pollution with heavy and radioactive elements, motivated us to find clean
alternatives for phosphate fertilizers to conserve the environment such as bone char. Also, the groundwater used in the agricultural activity of desert soils is considered to be saline. Therefore, the specific objective of this incubation experiment was to
investigate the application of bone char with different levels of water salinity on changes of phosphorus (P) availability and some
soil quality indicators of calcareous sandy soil. The results of this study revealed that applying bone char (BC) combined with
saline water significantly increased the available P (Olsen-P) in calcareous sandy soil compared to the control (unamended soil)
and bone char with distilled water treatment. The P release from bone char increased with increasing water salinity levels. The
increase of incubation time results in an increment of Olsen-P concentration at a high level of saline water. Soil pH values
declined with the addition of bone char combined with saline water, while the electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil in this study
increased gradually with increasing the water salinity level in the presence of bone char. The soluble sulfate (SO42−) increased by
applying bone char and saline water. Based on this, we can suggest the use of bone char under the presence of saline water as an
alternative to phosphate fertilizer, especially in sustainable agriculture because it is economically and environmentally friendly.
The bone char can be a substitute for chemical fertilizers produced from rock phosphate.