Improvement in phosphorus nutrition of wheat plants grown in a calcareous sandy soil by incorporating chemical phosphorus fertilizer with some selected organic substances

Abstract

<p>Established fertilizer recommendations for wheat is urgently required to enhance the application efficiency of commercial phosphorus (P) fertilizers. This study evaluated the effect of inorganic P combined with some organic supplements i.e., citric acid (CA) or pigeon manure juice (PMJ), on alkaline-calcareous soil as well as plant measurements and phosphorus efficiency parameters of wheat (Triticum durum ’Boussalem’). Different concentrations of P in solution i.e., 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.40 mg l−1, were worked out theoretically using the Freundlich model. A greenhouse study was conducted on a permanent layout with three replicates. As a result, phosphorus in the control was 0.493 mg P pot−1. However, in amended pots with organic substances, the averages of P uptake were 0.701 and 0.785 mg P pot−1, respectively for PMJ and CA treatments. A lower P requirement of 0.195 and 0.245 mg P l−1 may be required in CA and PMJ treatments, compared to the control treatments (0.345 mg P l−1). In addition, the phosphorus absorption efficiency (PAE) was higher in the CA and PMJ treatments. So, it is recommended to apply P fertilizers with poultry manure juice as an alternative solution in order to improve the efficiency of inorganic P fertilizers and consequently reduce their application rates in alkaline calcareous soils.</p>

Optimizing Phosphorus Levels in Wheat Grown in a Calcareous Soil with the Use of Adsorption Isotherm Models

“…The increase in wheat grain yield, biological yield, and straw yield with application of phosphatic fertilizers is in consistency with many research reports (Jahan and Amiri 2018;Mihoub et al 2019;Naeem et al 2013). P fertilization improves the quality and number of grains per spike which ultimately increase both straw and grain yield (Poulsen et al 2005).…”

“…Manzoor (2013) also reported that Langmuir model estimated lower P requirement under given soil and adsorption conditions. Soil solution P at the level of 0.2 mg P L −1 is sufficient for optimum yield (Naeem et al 2013;Mihoub et al 2019). Mihoub et al (2016) and Ayenew et al (2018) reported that several crops achieved maximum growth at 0.2 and 0.32 mg P L −1 , respectively.…”

“…As per published literature, fertilizer amount to sustain 0.2 to 0.3 mg P L −1 soil solution has been usually reported to be sufficient. Soil solution P at the level of 0.2 mg P L −1 was sufficient for optimum yield (Mihoub et al 2019;Naeem et al 2013). Ayenew et al (2018) reported that several crops achieve maximum growth at 0.2 and 0.32 mg P L −1 .…”

“…Naeem et al (2013) showed that the high lime content of these soils is responsible for the adsorption of P. Field studies revealed that irrigated and rainfed wheat required about 90-135 kg P 2 O 5 ha −1 to achieve maximum yield but the amount depends upon lime contents of soil (Jamal and Fawad 2019). All agronomic parameters as well as P uptake in grain increased as the applied P increased compared with control (Mihoub et al 2019). But, still, over fertilization has its own issues like waste of natural resources, accompanied by a decrease in farmers' economic output.…”

“…For maximum return in high lime soils, P should be applied to a level where maximum return from the crop can be achieved (Mihoub et al 2016). As the sorption of P increases with time, the application of P fertilizers should be done just before sowing so that the plant gets all its needs from P just after sowing (Mihoub et al 2019), while fertilizer banding and fertigation Muhammad Farhan Saeed and Aftab Jamal contributed equally to this work.…”