Thermodynamic modelling of P availability: the case of intercropping rhizosphere

Abstract

Plants of chickpea and durum wheat were cultivated as sole-­‐crop and intercrop in a rhizobox deviceaccording to a substitutive design. Unplanted soil was used as a control treatment. The soil used was a noncarbonated Luvisol with a neutral pH. Plants were harvested at the chickpea flowering stage. The pH, Pavailability and dissolved Ca were measured in soil as extracted by water and CaCl2 (1 and 10 mM). A set ofthermodynamic models were used (i.e. CD MUSIC; Nica Donnan; ion exchange) to simulate and understandmeasured P availability variations in each treatment