Changes in soil phosphorus availability and potential phosphorus loss following cessation of phosphorus fertiliser inputs
R. J. Dodd A B C , R. W. McDowell A B and L. M. Condron B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A AgResearch Ltd, Invermay Agricultural Centre, Private Bag 50034, Mosgiel 9053, New Zealand.
B Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, Christchurch, New Zealand.
C Corresponding author. Email: Rosalind.Dodd@agresearch.co.nz
Soil Research 51(5) 427-436 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR13168
Submitted: 15 March 2013 Accepted: 14 July 2013 Published: 23 September 2013
Abstract
Long-term application of phosphorus (P) fertilisers to agricultural soils can lead to in the accumulation of P in soil. Determining the rate of decline in soil P following the cessation of P fertiliser inputs is critical to evaluating the potential for reducing P loss to surface waters. The aim of this study was to use isotope exchange kinetics to investigate the rate of decline in soil P pools and the distribution of P within these pools in grazed grassland soils following a halt to P fertiliser application. Soils were sourced from three long-term grassland trials in New Zealand, two of which were managed as sheep-grazed pasture and one where the grass was regularly cut and removed. There was no significant change in total soil P over the duration of each trial between any of the treatments, although there was a significant decrease in total inorganic P on two of the sites accompanied by an increase in the organic P pool, suggesting that over time P was becoming occluded within organic matter, reducing the plant availability. An equation was generated using the soil-P concentration exchangeable within 1 min (E1 min) and P retention of the soil to predict the time it would take for the water-extractable P (WEP) concentration to decline to a target value protective of water quality. This was compared with a similar equation generated in the previous study, which used the initial Olsen-P concentration and P retention as a predictor. The use of E1 min in place of Olsen-P did not greatly improve the fit of the model, and we suggest that the use of Olsen-P is sufficient to predict the rate of decline in WEP. Conversely, pasture production data, available for one of the trial sites, suggest that E1 min may be a better predictor of dry matter yield than Olsen-P.
Additional keywords: isotope exchange kinetics, productivity, water quality.
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