Management effects on phosphorus transformation and implications for soil test recommendations

Non-Peer ReviewedCrop rotations and fertilizer application on long-term rotation plots at Lethbridge and Breton have dramatically affected most soil phosphorus (P) fractions. At the Lethbridge site, soil cultivation has reduced organic P (Po) levels as a result of mineralization. This has caused a significant increase in resin extractable inorganic P (Pi; most biologically available), sodium bicarbonate extractable Pi (sorbed to soil surfaces), and sodium hydroxide extractable Pi (more strongly bound to Al and Fe compounds) levels. In non-fertilized treatments, continuous wheat (CW) resulted in greater P draw-down of all labile P fractions than in wheat-wheat-fallow (WWF) and wheat-fallow (WF) rotations. The addition of P fertilizer has significantly increased Resin-Pi, Bicarb-Pi and NaOH-Pi fractions. The addition of N fertilizer has resulted in increased Bicarb-Po and NaOH-Po levels in the CW, WF, and WWF rotations. At the Breton site, continuously cropped treatments, which had not received fertilizer, resulted in greater P draw-down of all P fractions except Residual-F. Addition of fertilizer had a significant effect on all P fractions (except NaOH-Po). The added Pin the fertilizer treatments positively affected the Pi fractions and the N in the fertilizer treatment positively affected the Po fractions. Bicarb-Po levels were found to be negatively· affected by soil pH. Finally, cropping without using phosphate fertilizer has resulted in a 30 to 41 % decline in Total-P in the Breton plots. A growth chamber study was conducted to compare four routine soil test P methods with plant uptake of P. Wheat and canola were each grown in eight soils from the Lethbridge and Breton plots with different pedogenic, crop rotation and fertilizer histories. Results of the study confirm that one calibration curve to predict fertilizer P requirements for a wide range of soils and crops is virtually impossible. Future soil tests will combine a chemical extractant with a computer model prediction of Po mineralization. Much more information is needed on root rhizosphere dynamics

Prolonged Leaching of Orthic Black Ah Material with Water and Aqueous Extracts of Populus Tremuloides and P. Balsamifera Leaves

Cylinders filled with Orthic Black Ah material were leached over a 2-year period with distilled water or with aqueous extracts of aspen or black poplar leaves that were collected late in the growing season. Actual losses from the soil and chemical analyses of the leached soil indicated that the aqueous extract of aspen poplar leaves imposed greater changes on the chemical properties of the soil than did the extract of black poplar leaves. These changes were particularly noticeable for pH, total and exchangeable Ca, and 0.1N NaOH-extractable C. The aqueous extract of aspen poplar leaves acidified the soil more strongly than the extract of black poplar leaves, even though there was little difference between the two extracts in polyphenol and polysaccharide content and the total acidity of the black poplar extract was about twice that of the aspen poplar extract. Aqueous extract of weathered aspen poplar leaves was no more effective than distilled water

XANES speciation of phosphorus in organically amended and fertilized vertisol and mollisol

Knowledge of the dominant P species present in the soil following the application of organic amendments and fertilizer is important in understanding the fate of P in the environment. This study was performed to identify P species in two calcareous soils, an Osborne series (Typic Humicryert) and a Lakeland series (Typic Calciudoll), treated with organic amendments (biosolids and hog and dairy cattle manure) and fertilizer (monoammonium phosphate, MAP). Phosphorus 1s x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy was used to speciate P compounds in these amended soils. The result showed that "adsorbed P" was the dominant P species in both soils. For the Osborne soil, the unamended soil (control) and those amended with biosolids and MAP contained an appreciable amount of hydroxyapatite (HAP), the most thermodynamically favored Ca phosphate. In addition, soils amended with biosolids or hog or dairy manures contain β-tricalcium phosphate (TRICAL), a more soluble form of Ca phosphate than HAP. The amended Lakeland soils contained a variety of species in addition to the dominant "adsorbed P." While TRICAL was found in all the amended soils except in that amended with hog manure, HAP was present in appreciable amount only in the unamended soil. Overall, the adsorbed P, most likely through inner-sphere complexation, in these amended soils may not be readily available as a source of P into the environment. In addition, the HAP and TRICAL will have limited solubility, and thus, are probably only a very minor source of P in the environment.Babasola Ajiboye, Olalekan O. Akinremi, Yongfeng Hu and Astrid Jürgense