Residual value of superphosphate measured using yields of different pasture legume species and bicarbonate — extractable soil phosphorus

The residual value of superphosphate was measured in three glasshouse pot experiments using three different lateritic soils (pH CaCl₂: 4.8–5.3) from south-western Australia. The residual value was estimated relative to levels of freshly-applied superphosphate using yield of dried tops and bicarbonatesoluble P extracted from the soil (soil test values). Up to five successive crops were grown. In each experiment, four different pasture legume species fertilized with mineral nitrogen were grown in rotation with a cereal species. The legume species includedMedicago polymorpha, M. murex, Trifolium subterraneum, Ornithopus compressus, O. perpusillus andO. pinnatus. The cereal species includedTriticum aestivum, ×Triticosecale, andHordeum vulgare. The comparative phosphorus (P) requirement of the different pasture legumes was estimated from the amount of P required to produce 50 or 90% of the maximum yield measured for each species at each harvest. Soil samples for the soil test were collected just before sowing each crop, and were related to the plant yields of that crop.Relative to freshly-applied superphosphate, the residual value of superphosphate measured using plant yield was similar for all pasture legume species, and decreased markedly, by about 50 to 80% between the first and second crop, and by a further 5 to 30% for subsequent crops. The decrease in residual value estimated using soil test values was less marked. For freshly-applied superphosphate, and for the same plant species, the relationship between yield and the level of P applied differed for different crops.There was no consistent, systematic trend for the comparative P requirement of the different legume species within and between crops of the three experiments and soils.For all crops, the relationship between yield of dried tops and P concentration in dried tissue generally differed for the different legume species, indicating the different species usually have different internal efficiency of P use curves. However, for each experiment, when the same cereal species was grown in all the pots, the relationship between yield and P concentration in tissue was similar for previously- and freshly-applied superphosphate, regardless of the pasture legume species grown in previous crops.The relationship between yield and soil test values usually differed, within each crop, for different plant species and for previously- and freshly-applied superphosphate. For the same plant species, the relationship also differed between different crops.     

Agronomic effectiveness of partially acidulated rock phosphate and fused calcium-magnesium phosphate compared with superphosphate

The agronomic effectiveness of two partially acidulated rock phosphate (PARP) fertilizers, made from either North Carolina or Moroccan apatite rock phosphate, and a fused calcium-magnesium phosphate (thermal phosphate or TP), was compared with the effectiveness of superphosphate in two glasshouse experiments. A different lateritic soil from Western Australia was used for each experiment. Oats (Avena sativa) were grown in one experiment and triticale (×Triticosecale) in the other. Fertilizer effectiveness was measured using (i) yield of dried tops, (ii) P content (P concentration in tissue multiplied by yield) of dried tops, and (iii) bicarbonate-extractable soil P (soil test value).The following relationships differed for the different fertilizers: (i) yield of dried tops and P content in the dried tops; (ii) yield and soil test values. Consequently the fertilizer effectiveness values calculated using yield data differed from those calculated using P content or soil test data. Freshly-applied superphosphate was always the most effective fertilizer regardless of the method used to calculate fertilizer effectiveness values. For one of the soils, as calculated using yield data, relative to freshly-applied superphosphate, the PARP and TP fertilizers were 15 to 30% as effective for the first crop, and 20 to 50% as effective for the second crop. The second soil was more acidic, and for the first crop the PARP and TP fertilizers were 80 to 90% as effective as freshly-applied superphosphate, but all fertilizers were only 5 to 15% as effective for the second crop. For each soil, the two PARP fertilizers had similar fertilizer effectiveness values. Generally the TP fertilizer was more effective than the PARP fertilizers.     

Effect of water supply on the response of wheat and triticale to applications of rock phosphate and superphosphate

The effect of water supply on the response of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and triticale (×Triticosecale) to levels of freshly-applied rock phosphate and superphosphate, and the residues of these fertilizers applied 9 years previously in the field, was studied in three glasshouse experiments. The < 2 mm fraction of the top 10 cm of soil was used (1.8 kg soil per pot), and in one experiment, freshly-applied fertilizer was also added to the more acidic subsoil (10 to 20 cm). There were two water treatments: the soil was returned to field capacity by watering to weight, either daily (W1, adequate water) or weekly (W2, water stress). Yield of dried tops was used to calculate fertilizer effectiveness. The phosphorus (P) concentration in dried tops was used to determine critical P, which is the P concentration related to 90% of the maximum yield. Just before sowing, soil samples were collected to measure bicarbonate-extractable (soil test) P which was related to plant yield.Water stress reduced yields and maximum yield plateaus by 20 to 40%. Water stress reduced the effectiveness of all P fertilizers by between 20 to 60%, largely because of a reduction in the maximum yield potentials. In the field, water supply is seasonally dependent and it can affect the yield response of plants to freshly-applied rock phosphate and superphosphate and the residues of these fertilizers applied to the field in previous years. Relative to placing fertilizer in the topsoil, placing fertilizer in the subsoil improved effectiveness by about 26% for rock phosphate and 12% for superphosphate.The relationship between yield and P concentration in dried tops, and critical P, differed for W1 and W2. The soil test P calibration, which relates yield to soil test P, and the soil test P required to produce the same yield also differed for W1 and W2. Consequently critical P and soil test P calibrations depend on water supply, which in the field varies within and between growing seasons. This is so for freshly- and previously-applied rock phosphate and superphosphate.     

The effect of urea pellet size and rate of application on ammonia volatilization and soil nitrogen dynamics

In a field experiment on deep, yellow, sandy soil near Badgingarra, Western Australia, the residual value of superphosphate applied one and two years previously was measured relative to freshly-applied superphosphate using yields of narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius), barley and wheat. In addition, soil samples were collected for measurement of bicarbonate-extractable soil P. This was also used to estimate the residual value of the superphosphate.For lupins and wheat, and for bicarbonate-extractable soil P, the residual value decreased with increasing level of application. For barley grain, the residual value was not significantly affected by the level of application.The decrease in residual value of superphosphate with increasing level of application is attributed to increased leaching of applied phosphorus (P) down the profile of the sandy soils as the level of application increases. This may reduce subsequent plant yields due to the delay in seedling roots reaching the P in the soil during the crucial early stages of plant growth.For lupins, the relationship between yield and the level of superphosphate applied was markedly sigmoidal. The relationship for wheat and barley was exponential. Consequently, at suboptimal levels of P application, lupins required about two to three times more P than wheat or barley to produce the same yield. However, lupins required less P to achieve near-maximum yield.     

Incubating superphosphate in ‘dry’soil can reduce its effectiveness

Single superphosphate was incubated for six months at 25°C in soil which had been subject to one of three moisture treatments. These were: dried in a glasshouse, dried at a constant temperature of 25°C, or moist soil. Phosphorus (P) effectiveness was then compared with effectiveness of P from freshly-applied superphosphate using yields of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and triticale (×Triticosecale) tops in pot experiments.Incubation in soil which had been dried at 25°C did not decrease the effectiveness of the P. Incubation in moist soil decreased it to about 20% of the effectiveness of freshly-applied P in one case and to about 50% in the other case. Incubation in soil which had been dried in a glasshouse also decreased its effectiveness. The decrease varied with conditions, but in two cases the P was 70% as effective as freshly-applied P, and in one case only 45% as effective. Presumably sufficient moisture was present in the soil dried in the glasshouse to enable water-soluble P present in the fertilizer to react with the soil.     

The effect of water supply on the response of subterranean clover,annual medic and wheat to superphosphate applications

The effect of water supply on the response of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum), annual medic (Medicago polymorpha) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) to levels of phosphorus (P) applied to the soil (soil P) was studied in four glasshouse experiments. P was applied as powdered superphosphate. In one experiment, the effect on plant yield of P concentration in the sown seed (seed P) was also studied. There were two water treatments: the soil was returned to field capacity, by watering to weight, either daily (adequate water, W1) or weekly (water stress, W2). In three experiments: (i) P concentration or content (P concentration × yield) in plant tissue was related to plant yield, and (ii) soil samples were collected before sowing to measure bicarbonate-extractable P (soil test P) which was related to subsequent plant yields.Compared with W1, water stress consistently reduced yields of dried tops and the maximum yield plateau for the relationship between yield and the level of P applied, by up to 25 to 60% in both cases. Compared with W1, the effectiveness of superphosphate for producing dried tops decreased for W2 by 11 to 45%, for both freshly-applied and incubated superphosphate. Consequently in the field, water supply, which varies with seasonal conditions, may effect plant yield responses to freshly — and previously — applied P fertilizer.Seed P increased yields, for W1, by 40% for low soil P and 20% for high soil P; corresponding values for W2 were 20 and 12%. Consequently proportional increases due to seed P were smaller for the water-stressed treatment.The relationship between yield and P concentration or content (internal efficiency of P use) differed for W1 and W2, so that the same P concentration or content in tissue was related to different yields. Estimating the P status of plants from tissue P values evidently depends on water supply, which in the field, differs in different years depending on seasonal conditions.The relationship between yield and soil test P differed for W1 and W2. Predicting yields from soil test P can only provide a guide, because plant yields depend on both P and water supply, which in the field may vary depending on seasonal conditions.     

Comparison of single and coastal superphosphate for subterranean clover on phosphorus leaching soils

Coastal superphosphate, a partially acidulated rock phosphate (PARP), is being considered as an alternative fertilizer to single superphosphate for pastures in high rainfall (> 800 mm annual average) areas of south-western Australia. The effectiveness of single and coastal superphosphate, as P fertilizers, was measured in two field experiments using dry herbage yield of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum). The experiments were started in April 1990 and were terminated at the end of 1993. In the years after P applications, soil samples were collected each January to measure Colwell soil-test P, which was related to plant yields measured later on that year, to provide soil P test calibrations.Relative to freshly-applied single superphosphate, the effectiveness of freshly-applied coastal superphosphate and the residues of previously-applied single and coastal superphosphate were less effective in some years (from 3% as effective to equally effective), and up to 100% more effective in other years. This large range in effectiveness values in different years is attributed to different climatic conditions. Soil P test calibrations were different for soils treated with single or coastal superphosphate. The calibrations were also different for different yield assessments (harvests) in the same year, and in different years. Consequently soil P testing can only provide a very crude estimate of the current P status of the soils.     

A comparison of five soil phosphorus tests for five crop species for soil previously fertilized with superphosphate and rock phosphate

The P_i, Colwell, Bray 1, calcium acetate lactate (CAL) and Truog phosphorus (P) soil test reagents were assessed in two field experiments on lateritic soils in Western Australia that had been fertilized four years previously (1984) with triple superphosphate, North Carolina rock phosphate, Queensland rock phosphate, and in one experiment, Calciphos. Soil samples to measure soil P test were collected February 1987. Soil P test was related to seed (grain) yields measured later in 1987. Different crop species were grown on different sections of the same plot at each site. The species were lupins (Lupinus angustifolius), barley (Hordeum vulgare) and oats (Avena sativa) at one site, and lupins, oats, triticale (×Triticosecale) and rapeseed (Brassica napus) at the other site. For each reagent, the soil P test calibration, which is the relationship between yield, expressed as a percentage of the maximum yield, and soil P test, generally differed for different plant species and for different fertilizer types. Variations in soil P test required to produce half the maximum yield of each species at each site was least for the CAL reagent followed by the Colwell reagent.     

Long-term residual value of North Carolina and Queensland rock phosphates compared with triple superphosphate

The effectiveness of large single applications of North Carolina reactive rock phosphate, Queensland non-reactive rock phosphate, and Calciphos, were compared to the effectiveness of superphosphate in field experiments in south-western Australia for up to 11 years after application. As measured using plant yield, superphosphate was the most effective fertilizer in the year of application, and relative to freshly-applied superphosphate, the effectiveness of the superphosphate residues declined to be about 15 to 65% as effective in the year after application, and 5 to 20% as effective 9 to 10 years after application. Relative to freshly-applied superphosphate, all the rock phosphates were 10 to 30% as effective in the year of application, and the residues remained 2 to 20% as effective in the 10 years after application. The bicarbonate soil test reagent predicted a more gradual decrease in effectiveness of superphosphate of up to 70% 10 years after application. For rock phosphate, the reagent predicted effectiveness to be always lower than for superphosphate, being initially 2 to 11% as effective in the year after application, and from 10% to equally as effective 10 years later. Therefore rock phosphates are unlikely to be economic alternatives to superphosphate in the short or long term on most lateritic soils in south-western Australia.     

Effectiveness of two partially acidulated rock phosphates,coastal superphosphate and Ecophos,compared with North Carolina reactive rock phosphate and superphosphate

The effectiveness of coastal superphosphate, a partially acidulated rock phosphate (PARP) made from apatite, and Ecophos, a PARP made from calcium iron aluminium (crandallite millisite) rock phosphate, was compared in pot experiments with the effectiveness of ordinary superphosphate (OSP) and North Carolina reactive apatite rock phosphate (NCRP). There were three experiments using different lateritic soils collected in Western Australia. Fertilizer effectiveness was measured using yield of dried wheat (Triticum aestivum) tops grown for 28 days. Three successive crops were grown. The phosphorous (P) fertilizers were applied and mixed with the soils before sowing the first crop. In addition, OSP was added to extra pots before sowing crops 2 and 3 in order to measure the effectiveness of the original P fertilizers relative to freshly-applied OSP for these crops.As measured using plant yield, coastal superphosphate was the most effective P fertilizer for three crops on an acidic peaty sand (pH water 5.0). Relative to freshly-applied OSP, it was 154% as effective for crop 1, 75% as effective for crop 2, and 36% as effective for crop 3. Corresponding values for Ecophos were 44, 29 and 19%, and for NCRP, 77, 67 and 29%, with the original OSP treatment being 61 and 56% as effective for crops 2 and 3. For three crops on a lateritic gravel loam (pH 6.5), both coastal superphosphate and OSP were the most effective fertilizers, and were equally effective for crop 1, and relative to freshly-applied OSP, were about 31% as effective for crop 2, and 16 and 21 % as effective for crop 3. Corresponding values for Ecophos were 47,15 and 11%, and NCRP, 33,15 and 5%. For two crops in a loamy sand (pH 5.4), OSP was the most effective fertilizer, and, relative to fresh OSP, it was 36% as effective for crop 2. Relative to fresh OSP, the effectiveness for crops 1 and 2 of coastal superphosphate was 57 and 18%, for Ecophos 71 and 27%, and for NCRP 50 and 36%.     

The residual value of rock phosphate and superphosphate from field sites assessed by glasshouse bioassay using three plant species with different external P requirements

A pot experiment with two lateritic soils measured the relative residual effectiveness (RRE) of superphosphate and three rock phosphate (RP) fertilizers applied six years previously in the field. Three plant species (lettuce, wheat and maize) having very different external P requirements were grown as indicators of P availability. Superphosphate had the maximum RRE (1.0) and low reactive Queensland RP had the minimum RRE (0.04–0.45) for all plant species. For one soil the RRE of reactive North Carolina RP was similar to that of superphosphate (0.87–1.04), but ranged from 0.07 to 0.30 for the other soil. The RRE of Calciphos (one soil only) ranged from 0.60 to 0.98 for all plant species.The RRE of rock phosphate decreased for the three crops in sequence maize> wheat> lettuce for a 30 days growth period. This ranking follows the increasing external P requirement of the three plant species. Very high rates of application of RP may have induced micronutrient deficiencies.     

The long-term residual value of rock phosphate and superphosphate fertilizers for various plant species under field conditions

In three, long-term field experiments on different lateritic soils in south-western Australia, the effectiveness of superphosphate and rock phosphate fertilizers applied 10 years (one experiment) or 4 years previously was measured relative to the effectiveness of freshly-applied superphosphate (relative effectiveness or RE) using several different plant species. For the species comparisons, RE values were estimated using the initial slope of the relationship between yield and the level of P applied. In addition, RE values were also determined for different levels of application to test whether RE values for previously-applied fertilizer changed with increasing level of application. Soil samples were collected 3–5 months before sowing for a soil test for phosphate (P) and the soil test values were related to plant yields measured later that year. At each site, the RE value of previously-appliedrock phosphate was calculated using initial slopes and was mostly consistently low and was similar (0.04–0.18) for all plant species. The exceptions were that the RE value about doubled for barley in one experiment and for another experiment the effectiveness of calcined (heated) C-grade ore (Calciphos) was about 2–3 times that of the untreated (i.e. unheated) fertilizer. In most cases, the RE value of previously appliedsuperphosphate at each site was similar (0.23–0.34) regardless of plant species. The exceptions were that the RE value was about double for barley in one experiment and about half for triticale in another. Rock phosphates applied 4 or 10 years previously were between about one twentieth to one quarter as effective as freshly applied superphosphate. Superphosphate applied 4 or 10 years previously was between about a quarter to one third as effective as freshly-applied superphosphate. At each site, the yield of each species was closely related to the P content of plant tissue and the relationship was independent of the fertilizer type or when the fertilizer was applied. At each site and for each plant species, the RE value of the previously-applied rock phosphate was estimated for different levels of application and generally decreased with increasing level of application, whereas the RE value for previously-applied superphosphate mostly remained approximately constant. At each site, the relationship between yield and soil test values (i.e. soil test for P calibrations) differed depending on the fertilizer type and the plant species.     

Reactive rock phosphate fertilizers and soil testing for phosphorus: The effect of particle size of the rock phosphate

North Carolina rock phosphate (NCRP) (highly carbonate—substituted apatite) was ground to produce three samples with different particle size distributions. The effectiveness of these fertilizers was compared with the effectiveness of superphosphate in a field experiment and three glasshouse experiments using lateritic soils from south-western Australia. Non-reactive Queensland rock phosphate (low carbonate-substituted apatite from the Duchess deposit) was also used in the pot experiments. Bicarbonate-soluble phosphorus extracted from the soil is widely used in Western Australia to predict plant yields from previously-applied fertilizer dressings. For both field and pot experiments bicarbonate-extractable phosphorus (soil test value) was measured and related to subsequent plant yields.As calculated from the initial slope of the relationship between yield and the level of P applied, finely powdered NCRP was about 5–32% as effective as freshly-applied superphosphate in the year of application and also for two years after application in the field experiment, and for two successive crops in the three pot experiments. For both field and pot experiments, finely powdered NCRP, was at best, 1.5–2.0 times as effective as granular NCRP. Relative to freshly-applied superphosphate, the effectiveness of rock phosphates usually decreased with increasing level of application.For each of the crops in the field experiment, the relationships between yield and phosphorus content of plants (i.e. internal efficiency curves) were similar for all fertilizers. Thus the low effectiveness of the rock phosphates relative to superphosphate was solely due to much less phosphorus being taken up by plants. By contrast, in the pot experiments internal efficiency curves differed for different fertilizers. This is attributed to differences in the rate of phosphorus uptake by plant roots during the early stages of plant growth.For both field and pot experiments, soil test calibrations (the relationship between yield and soil test value) differed for rock phosphates and superphosphate. For superphosphate, soil test calibrations also differed for the three different years after the initial application of this fertilizer in the field experiment. For the second crop in the pot experiment, soil test calibrations differed for superphosphate applied at different times (before the first and the second crop). These results point out the difficulty of applying soil testing procedures to soils that have experienced different histories of fertilizer application.     

Residual value of superphosphate for wheat and lupin grain production on a uniform yellow sandplain soil

In a field experiment on a sandplain soil in a low rainfall (326 mm per annum) Mediterranean environment of south-western Australia, the effectiveness of superphosphate applied in 1986 was measured in three subsequent years relative to freshly-applied superphosphate each year, using grain (seed) yields of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and lupins (Lupinus angustifolius). The wheat and lupins were grown in rotation and both crops were grown each year starting in 1986. Bicarbonate-soluble phosphorus was determined on soil samples taken in mid June from where the P treatment was applied in 1986 only. These soil test values were related to the grain yields produced that year.For each level of superphosphate applied in 1986, soil test values decreased with increasing time from application. The relationship between grain yield and soil test values had the same general form within each year for both plant species, but varied between years.For both species, the effectiveness of superphosphate decreased by about 70–80% between the year of application and the first and second years after application, and by a further approximate 10% in the third year. The relationship between grain yield and the level of superphosphate applied became sigmoidal by 1989.     

The current and residual value of superphosphate for lupins grown in rotation with oats and wheat on a deep sandy soil

In a field experiment on a deep pale-yellow sand in a 600 mm per annum rainfall Mediterranean environment of south-western Australia, six levels of phosphorus (P) as superphosphate (O up to 546 kg P ha^–1) were applied once only, to the soil surface, before sowing lupins (Lupinus angustifolius). The lupins were grown in a continuous arable cropping rotation with, in successive years, oats (Avena sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), lupins. Five such rotations were started in the experiment from 1985 to 1989. The experiment continued until the end of 1990.The relationship between lupin seed (grain) yields and the level of P applied was measured in the year of P application for five successive years (1985 to 1989). The relationship had the same general form but it varied between years, largely due to different maximum yields (yield plateaux) in each year.The residual value of superphosphate applied three years previously was measured for lupins on two occasions (1988 and 1989) relative to superphosphate applied in the current year. The residual values was different in the two years. The superphosphate applied three years previously was about 30% as effective as freshly applied superphosphate in 1988, and 12% as effective in 1989.At each harvest, the relationship between grain yield and the P concentration in the grain differed for different species. However, for each species at each harvest, the relationship was similar regardless of when the P was applied in the previous years. Thus each species had the same internal efficiency of P use curve, and yields varied only with P concentration in tissue.Bicarbonate-extractable soil P was determined on soil samples taken in mid-July of 1989 and 1990. These soil test values were related to grain yields at harvest. The relationship between yield and soil test values had the same general form but varied for different species within years and for each species between years. It also varied for each species within years depending on the year the P was applied.     

A comparison of seven soil P tests for plant species with different external P requirements grown on soils containing rock phosphate and superphosphate residues

Seven soil tests for phosphate (P) (Bray 1, Bray 2, Truog, ammonium oxalate, Colwell, iron oxide-strip (Pi) and resin-strip soil tests) were evaluated for predicting the yield of plant species which have very different external P requirements. Two acid, sandy soils that had been fertilized six years previously with superphosphate and three rock phosphates were used. A glasshouse pot experiment with lettuce, wheat and maize was used to calibrate the soil tests.For some soil P tests, different calibrations relating yield to soil P test values were required for each plant species, P fertilizer and soil combination. The Bray 2 and Truog soil P tests were the worst predictors of yield for both soils and all plant species. The Pi and ammonium oxalate tests were the most predictive tests for one soil when data for all fertilizers were considered. The Bray 1 and Colwell soil P tests were the most predictive for the other soil. The resin-strip P test was poorly predictive of yield of lettuce and wheat for both the soils. The accuracy in prediction of yield on the basis of P test value decreased in the sequence maize > wheat > lettuce. This rank is opposite to the increasing external P requirements of these species.     

Effect of superphosphate and nitrogen on yield and take-all of wheat

Wheat was grown continuously in soil amended with 5 levels of superphosphate and with 4 levels of urea at 3 sites. The incidence and severity of take-all, caused byGaeumannomyces graminis var.tritici, declined with increasing rates of application of both superphosphate and urea.In both years, the severity of take-all on plants receiving neither superphosphate nor urea was about 40% while at the highest level of superphosphate and urea supply the take-all severity was approximately halved at 22%.There was an increase in grain yield in response to applied superphosphate and urea to the highest level of each nutrient. There was also an increase in the 1,000-kernal weights with superphosphate and urea fertilizer application.     

Response of sorghum to fertilizer phosphorus and its residual value in a Vertisol

The response of crops to added P in Vertisols is generally less predictable than in other soil types under similar agroclimatic conditions. Very few studies have considered the residual effects of P while studying responses to fresh P applications. Field experiments were conducted for three years to study the response of sorghum to fertilizer P applied at 0, 10, 20 and 40 kg P ha^–1, and its residual value in a Vertisol, very low in extractable P (0.4 mg P kg^–1 soil), at the ICRISAT Center, Patancheru (near Hyderbad), India. In order to compare the response to fresh and residual P directly in each season, a split-plot design was adopted. One crop of sorghum (cv CSH6) was grown each year during the rainy season (June-September).The phenology of the sorghum crop and its harvest index were greatly affected by P application. The days to 50% flowering and physiological maturity were significantly reduced by P application as well as by the residues of fertilizer P applied in the previous season. In the first year of the experiment, sorghum grain yield increased from 0.14 t (no P added) to 3.48 t ha^–1 with P added at the rate of 40 kg P ha^–1. Phosphorus applied in the previous year was 58% as effective as fresh P but P applied two years earlier was only 18% as effective as fresh P.     

Wheat Responses in Semiarid Northern Ethiopia to N2 Fixation by Pisum Sativum Treated with Phosphorous Fertilizers and Inoculant

Nitrogen fixation (N₂) by leguminous crops is a relatively low-cost alternative to N fertilizers for smallholder farmers in Africa. Nitrogen fixation in pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Markos) as affected by phosphorus (P) fertilization (0, 30 kg P ha⁻¹) and inoculation (uninoculated and inoculated) in the semiarid conditions of Northern Ethiopia was studied using the ¹⁵N isotope dilution method and locally adapted barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Bureguda) as reference crop. The effect of pea fixed nitrogen (N₂) on yield of the subsequent wheat crop (Triticum aestivum L.) was also assessed. Phosphorus and inoculation significantly influenced nodulation at the late flowering stage and also significantly increased P and N concentrations in shoots, and P concentration in roots, while P and N concentrations in nodules were not affected. Biomass, pods m⁻² and grain yield responded positively to P and inoculation, while seeds pod⁻¹ and seed weights were not significantly affected by these treatments. Phosphorus and inoculation enhanced the percentage of N derived from the atmosphere in the whole plant ranging from 53 to 70%, corresponding to the total amount of N₂ fixed varying from 55 to 141 kg N ha⁻¹. Soil N balance after pea ranged from − 9.2 to 19.3 kg N ha⁻¹ relative to following barley, where barley extracted N on the average of 6.9 and 62.0 kg N ha⁻¹ derived from fertilizer and soil, respectively. Beneficial effects of pea fixed N₂ on yield of the following cereal crop were obtained, increasing the average grain and N yields of this crop by 1.06 Mg ha⁻¹ and 33 kg ha⁻¹, respectively, relative to the barley–wheat monocrop rotation. It can be concluded that pea can be grown as an alternative crop to fallow, benefiting farmers economically and increasing the soil fertility.     

Phosphorus bioavailability of fertilizers: A predictive laboratory method for its evaluation

A laboratory method and a laboratory index is proposed to estimate the phosphorus taken up by plants that is derived from fertilizers (Pdff). Pdff values were measured using greenhouse experiments and³²P labelling technics. The laboratory index estimates the proportion of PO₄-ions derived from the fertilizer in the soil solution and is measured by means of an isotopic exchange of³²PO₄-ion procedure. This indicator was named JCF. Two typical soil-fertilizer conditions were studied. One concerned measurement of Pdff and JCF values for freshly-applied phosphorus as diammonium phosphate (DAP) at levels of 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 mg P kg^–1 soil. The other concerned measures of Pdff and JCF values for two types of P residues previously applied in soils as concentrated superphosphate (CSP) or Gafsa rock phosphate (GRP) applied at 0 and 43.7 kg.ha^–1 each year over a 15 yr period.For freshly-applied DAP a linear relationship between Pdff and JCF values was obtained over the range of 0 to 90 mg P (kg soil)^–1 levels of application: JCF = 1.16 Pdff + 1.78, (r ² = 0.98). For the P residues, JCF and Pdff values were not significantly different for a given residual treatment. However JCF and Pdff pair data for CSP treatments (56.0, 65.9) were about tenfold superior to those for GRP treatments (5.3, 4.6)). Consequently the nearly 1:1 ratio between JCF and Pdff values that was obtained for the two different soil-fertilizer conditions suggests that the proposed laboratory method can be used to predict availability of P fertilizers to plants. Thus it deserves to be considered in helping to estimate P fertilizer applications.