Phosphorus Availability in Low-P and Acidic Soils as Affected by Liming and P Addition

Abstract

Acidic soils typically suffer from high phosphorus (P) retention, a problem that can be dealt with using greater P fertilization, soil liming, or both. The aim of this work was to examine which of these practices bears the more beneficial result for Lolium perenne L. growth. In a pot experiment, five acidic soils were treated as follows: L0P0 (unamended control), L1P0 (liming only), L0P1 (P addition only), and L1P1 (both liming and P addition). We found that P amendment alone was sufficient to increase plant P levels when the initial soil P concentrations were low. Liming without P addition increased plant P satisfactorily only in the high-P soil. We conclude that P addition alone is a better practice than liming alone for improved plant growth conditions in acidic, low-P soils, unless there is relatively high P content in soil, in which case liming alone may be sufficient to increase P availability.

Revealing soil legacy phosphorus to promote sustainable agriculture in Brazil

“…According to Jarvie et al 9 , it is globally imperative to manage both sides of this P paradox to ensure water, energy, and food security for the next generations. P use efficiency can be increased up to 80% in tropical soils when soil pH is corrected by frequent liming 28 , and crop rotations are adequately used, e.g. well managed long-term soybean/maize rotations intercropped by cover crops under no-tillage cultivation 22 .…”

“…P use efficiency can be increased up to 80% in tropical soils when soil pH is corrected by frequent liming 28 , and crop rotations are adequately used, e.g. well managed long-term soybean/maize rotations intercropped by cover crops under no-tillage cultivation 22 .…”

“…3 ) and increase PUE across the Brazilian croplands, if we are to address the challenge of increase global agricultural production while preserving natural resources. Some of most promising strategies includes: (i) increasing soil pH by liming, which increases the hydroxyls (HO − ) in soil solution and consequently increases P availability by competing for the adsorption functional groups of the solid phase 28 , 39 ; (ii) crop breeding seeking varieties with adaptative mechanisms to access previously unexploitable soil legacy P, such as higher root:shoot ratio, altered root morphology (higher presence of hairs, root radius and cluster formation), exudation of chemical compounds into the rhizosphere, and association of roots with mycorrhiza 16 , 44 ; (iii) crop inoculation with P-solubilizing microorganisms 45 , 46 ; (iv) introduction of P-efficient cover crops in the system 47 , e.g. ruzigrass species ( Urochloa spp) 48 , which has been widely used in intercropping systems in Brazilian Cerrado region; (v) use a more intensive agriculture, with double-cropping or intercropping systems 8 ; (vi) use of modern P fertilisers, tuning of fertiliser technologies to better synchronize them with the understanding of plant nutrition and rhizosphere processes and be specific to crops and agro-ecosystems 49 ; (vii) adoption of 4R nutrient stewardship to improve P fertiliser management (Right fertiliser source at the Right rate, at the Right time and in the Right place) 50 ; viii) improving soil conditions (chemical, physical and biological) for enhancing root growth to explore and uptake P in a large soil volume 47 ; and (ix) application of P fertiliser incorporated and/or closer to the plant root system (seed furrow) to facilitate the plant access and minimise the risk of P loss by erosion/runoff.…”

Nitrogen and phosphorus uptake efficiency in Indian mustard cultivated during three growth cycles in a copper contaminated soil treated with biochar

“…The same different outcomes are observed during the evaluation of the effects of biochar on plant N absorption (SAARNIO et al, 2013). Additionally, biochar has also been related to changes in the P cycle in highly weathered acidic soils (ABDELHAFEZ et al, 2017), where the availability of P is mostly controlled by the presence of reactive Al and Fe surfaces that present high affinity for P at low soil pH, causing P to be chemically adsorbed and leading to low agronomic P use efficiency (ANTONIADIS et al, 2015). In that case, the liming effect of biochar to certain extent can increase P availability by reducing P adsorption (VANEK & LEHMANN, 2015).…”

Soil Agricultural Potential in Four Common Andean Land Use Types in the Highlands of Southern Ecuador as Revealed by a Corn Bioassay

“…We can conclude that fertilizer applications in the studied soils should include K, Ca and Mg in order to increase pH and to enhance SOM mineralization. Long term studies of soil phosphorus application [35], soil liming [36] and the application of organic amendments should be investigated for these soils.…”