Phosphorus Availability and Potential Environmental Risk Assessment in Alkaline Soils

Abstract

Soil phosphorus (P) is an essential element that is often limiting in ecosystems. Excessive use of P fertilizers has led to P loss from soil and introduction into the environment. However, the behavior and potential risk assessment of P in alkaline soils is not well studied. Therefore, soil sampling was performed in alkaline soils in the northern Nile Delta, Egypt. Three analytical procedures (i.e., Mehlich 3 (PM3), Olsen (POlsen), and Bray 1 (PBray) solutions) were used to evaluate P availability and potential environmental risk from P loss. Selected soil properties were determined using standard methods. Mean values of P extracted were in the order PM3 > Polsen > PBray, and were significantly correlated with each other. The PM3 was the highest in silt clay loam and lowest in sandy and loamy soils. To predict potential P loss from the soils, degree of P saturation (DPS), soil P storage capacity (SPSC), and P stability ratio (Psat) were calculated. Results showed the highest DPS was recorded in sandy textured soils, indicating that they have lower sorption capacity, whereas the SPSC was highest in silt clay textures; hence, it is likely they would act as a P sink. Psat was highest in sandy soils, which indicated a high risk for P leaching. Principal component analysis (PCA) performed on the data identified four principal components that described 83.8% of the variation between P and the studied soil parameters. The results indicated that silt was the critical soil characteristic associated with both P sorption and extractability in different textures of soil. The second component confirmed the positive association between the different soil P extraction methods (PM3, POlsen, and PBray).

Manganese and phosphorus maize shoot concentrations are differently affected by nitrification inhibitor‐driven rhizosphere acidification

“…In addition, P deficiency may become a limiting factor for plant growth under high‐pH soils (Elbasiouny et al., 2020). It is known that adding NIs can increase P availability relative to unstabilized‐NH 4 + .…”

“…High pH soils are present in Northern Germany and Denmark, where high free carbonates and organic matter (SOM) contents have led to Mn 2+ deficiency and limited crop yield (Dreyer et al., 2020; Müller et al., 2022). In addition, P deficiency also may become a limiting factor for plant growth under such conditions (Elbasiouny et al., 2020).…”

Productivity and Nutritive Value of Mutant Benggala Grass (Panicum maximum cv Purple Guinea) in the Saline Soil of Coastal Area in Lebak-Banten Province

“…The phosphorus (p) value decreases with increasing salinity and soil pH (Table 1). The available p-value in coastal land with alkaline pH is usually very low due to insoluble calcium phosphate minerals forming that inhibit p uptake and plant growth (Elbasiouny et al, 2020). Although p in the soil is influenced by parent material, topography, climate, and soil organisms (Chang et al, 2016), the high cation exchange capacity (CEC) is affected by the alkaline pH and sandy soil texture, leading to high cation value with good exchange capacity.…”

Assessment of Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals and Their Ecological Risk in Sea Lettuce (Ulva spp.) along the Coast Alexandria, Egypt: Implications for Sustainable Management

“…This phenomenon occurs in Alexandria (Egypt) because of pollution that enhances phytoplanktonic biomass, especially marine algal blooms, which are good indicators of eutrophication [23]. The eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems causes anoxia [14,24]. Macroalgal blooms are linked to coastal eutrophication and are becoming increasingly common across the globe [25].…”