The effect of soil flooding on the transformation of Fe oxides and the adsorption/desorption behavior of phosphate

As repeatedly reported, soil flooding improves the availability of P to rice. This is in contrast with an increased P sorption in paddy soils. The effects of soil flooding on the transformation of Fe oxides and the adsorption/desorption of P of two paddy soils of Zhejiang Province in Southeast‐China were studied in anaerobic incubation experiments (submerging with water in N₂ atmosphere). Soil flooding significantly increased oxalate‐extractable Fe (Fe_ox), mainly at the expense of dithionite‐soluble Fe (Fe_DCB), as well as oxalate‐extractable P (P_ox), but decreased the ratio of P_ox/Fe_ox. Flooding largely increased both, P adsorption and the maximum P adsorption capacity. The majority of newly sorbed P in the soils was P_ox, but also more newly retained P was found to be not extractable by oxalate. Flooding also changed the characteristics of P desorption in the soils. Due to a decrease of the saturation index of the P sorption capacity, P adsorbed by flooded soils was much less desorbable than that from non‐flooded soils. There are obviously significant differences in the nature of both, the Fe_ox and P_ox fractions under non‐flooded and flooded conditions. The degree of the changes in Fe_ox, P_ox, P adsorption and P desorption by flooding depended on the contents of amorphous and total Fe oxides in non‐flooded soils. Our results confirm that the adsorption and desorption behavior of P in paddy soils is largely controlled by the transformation of the Fe oxides. The reasons of the often‐reported improved P availability to rice induced by flooding, in spite of the unfavorable effect on P desorbability, are discussed.     

Effects of organic matter addition on phosphorus availability to flooded and nonflooded rice in a P‐deficient tropical soil: a greenhouse study

Addition of organic matter (OM) to flooded soils stimulates reductive dissolution of Fe(III) minerals, thereby mobilizing associated phosphate (P). Hence, OM management has the potential to overcome P deficiency. This study assessed if OM applications increases soil or mineral fertilizer P availability to rice under anaerobic (flooded) condition and if that effect is different relative to that in aerobic (nonflooded) soils. Rice was grown in P‐deficient soil treated with combinations of addition of mineral P (0, 26 mg P/kg), OM (0, ~9 g OM/kg as rice straw + cattle manure) and water treatments (flooded vs nonflooded) in a factorial pot experiment. The OM was either freshly added just before flooding or incubated moist in soil for 6 months prior to flooding; blanket N and K was added in all treatments. Fresh addition of OM promoted reductive dissolution of Fe(III) minerals in flooded soils, whereas no such effect was found when OM had been incubated for 6 months before flooding. Yield and shoot P uptake largely increased with mineral P addition in all soils, whereas OM addition increased yield and P uptake only in flooded soils following fresh OM addition. The combination of mineral P and OM gave the largest yield and P uptake. Addition of OM just prior to soil flooding increased P uptake but was insufficient to overcome P deficiency in the absence of mineral P. Larger applications of OM are unlikely to be more successful in flooded soils due to side effects, such as Fe toxicity.     

Effects of soil flooding on P transformations in soils of the Mesopotamia region,Argentina

In the Mesopotamia region (Argentina), rice is cropped on a wide range of soil types, and the response of rice to fertilizer application has been inconsistent even in soils with very low levels of available phosphorus. Phosphorus transformations in flooded soils depend on soil characteristics that may affect phosphorus availability. This study was conducted to determine which soil characteristics were related to the changes in P fractions during soil flooding. Soils were chosen from ten sites within the Mesopotamia region that are included in five different soil orders: Oxisols, Ultisols, Alfisols, Mollisols, and Vertisols. Soil phosphorus (P) was fractionated by a modified Hedley method before and after a 45 d anaerobic‐incubation period. Changes in the inorganic P extracted with resin depended on soil pH and were related to the exchangeable‐Fe concentration of soils (extracted with EDTA). Inorganic P extracted with alkaline extractants (NaHCO₃ and NaOH) increased due to soil flooding. This increase was related to the organic‐C (OC) percentage of soils (r² = 0.62, p < 0.01), and ranged from 13 to 55 mg kg^–1. Even though previous studies showed that P associated with poorly crystalline Fe played an important role in the P nutrition of flooded rice, in this study, there was no relationship between ammonium oxalate–extractable Fe and P changes in soils due to flooding. Our results suggest that in the Mesopotamia region, changes in P fractions due to soil flooding are related to soil OC, soil pH, and soluble and weakly adsorbed Fe.     

Larger bioavailability of soil phosphorus for irrigated rice compared with rainfed rice in Madagascar: results from a soil and plant survey

Irrigated rice is less prone generally to phosphorus (P) deficiency than rainfed rice because redox reactions release P upon soil flooding. It is not known whether that is also true in highly weathered soils of Madagascar where the combination of high soil Fe and low P input may impede significant release of P. Soils and flag leaf samples were collected in 2010 in 38 irrigated rice and 46 rainfed rice fields belonging to private farmers. A critical flag leaf P content was derived from a P‐dosed pot trial study with three soils, and the results suggested 2.4 g P/kg as the critical value. Average flag leaf P was significantly larger in irrigated than in rainfed rice (2.2 compared with 1.7 g P/kg), and flag leaf P was below the critical value in 76% of irrigated rice fields while this fraction was 100% in rainfed rice. Nitrogen and K deficiencies were less prevalent. Flag leaf P increased with increasing soil pH and soil pH explained partially differences in leaf P between irrigated and rainfed rice. Flag leaf P was unrelated to soil organic matter, but increased with oxalate‐extractable soil P (P_o). Multiple regression analysis revealed greater leaf P at equal soil P_o and equal pH in irrigated compared with rainfed rice. Grain yield estimates (1‐m² squares) increased with flag leaf P but not with leaf N and K. In a regression model, about 42 % of the yield variance was explained with soil P_o and a rice‐growing system. The survey suggests that P is the main limiting nutrient for rice, and that soil P bioavailability is larger for irrigated than for rainfed rice in weathered soils of Madagascar.     

Effect of Flooding Lead Arsenate–Contaminated Orchard Soil on Growth and Arsenic and Lead Accumulation in Rice

Lead arsenate has been used as pesticide. Flooding soils contaminated by lead arsenate could increase plant arsenic and lead and become a human health risk. The objective was to determine the effects of flooding of lead‐arsenate soils on rice grain yield and arsenic and lead accumulation. Bagstown and Chashmont soils with high levels of arsenic and lead were planted with rice in the greenhouse under flooded and nonflooded conditions. Flooding reduced grain yield and increased grain arsenic concentration on both soils. Grain lead decreased with flooding for the Bagstown soil but increased for the Chashmont. Arsenic and lead concentrations in the straw were more than in grain. Grain arsenic and lead levels observed would not be expected to become a human health risk. However, bioavailability studies are needed. The high arsenic and lead in the straw may indirectly become a human health risk because rice straw is used for livestock feed and bedding.     

Effects of aerobic conditions in the rhizosphere of rice on the dynamics and availability of phosphorus in a flooded soil – A model experiment

The secretion of O₂ by rice roots results in aerobic conditions in the rhizoshere compared to the bulk flooded soil. The effect of this phenomenon on the adsorption/desorption behavior and on the availability of phosphorus (P) in a flooded soil was investigated in a model experiment. An experimental set‐up was developed that imitates both O₂ release and P uptake by the rice root. The results showed that O₂ secretion significantly reduced P adsorption/retention and increased P desorption/release in the “rhizosphere” soil, compared to the anaerobic bulk soil. The P uptake by an anion exchange resin from both unfertilized and P‐amended soil was significantly increased. The results confirm that the O₂ secretion is an important mechanism to enhance P availability and P uptake of rice under flooded conditions, where the “physico‐chemical” availability of P in the anaerobic bulk soil is strongly reduced. The decrease of P availability in the P‐amended flooded bulk soil was mainly associated with the almost complete transformation of the precedingly enriched Al‐P fraction into Fe‐bound P with extremely low desorption/release characteristics during the subsequent flooding.     

Effect of Lime and Flooding on Phosphorus Availability and Rice Growth on Two Acidic Lowland Soils

Abstract

Loss of soil‐water saturation may impair growth of rainfed lowland rice by restricting nutrient uptake, including the uptake of added phosphorus (P). For acidic soils, reappearance of soluble aluminum (Al) following loss of soil‐water saturation may also restrict P uptake. The aim of this study was to determine whether liming, flooding, and P additions could ameliorate the effects of loss of soil‐water saturation on P uptake and growth of rice. In the first pot experiment, two acid lowland soils from Cambodia [Kandic Plinthaqult (black clay soil) and Plinthustalf (sandy soil)] were treated with P (45 mg P kg^?1 soil) either before or after flooding for 4 weeks to investigate the effect of flooding on effectiveness of P fertilizer for rice growth. After 4 weeks, soils were air dried and crushed and then wet to field capacity and upland rice was grown in them for an additional 6 weeks. Addition of P fertilizer before rather than after flooding depressed the growth of the subsequently planted upland rice. During flooding, there was an increase in both acetate‐extractable Fe and the phosphate sorption capacity of soils, and a close relationship between them (r²=0.96–0.98). When P was added before flooding, Olsen and Bray 1‐extractable P, shoot dry matter, and shoot P concentrations were depressed, indicating that flooding decreased availability of fertilizer P. A second pot experiment was conducted with three levels of lime as CaCO₃ [to establish pH (CaCl₂) in the oxidized soils at 4, 5, and 6] and four levels of P (0, 13, 26, and 52 mg P kg^?1 soil) added to the same two acid lowland rice soils under flooded and nonflooded conditions. Under continuously flooded conditions, pH increased to over 5.6 regardless of lime treatment, and there was no response of rice dry matter to liming after 6 weeks' growth, but the addition of P increased rice dry matter substantially in both soils. In nonflooded soils, when P was not applied, shoot dry matter was depressed by up to one‐half of that in plants grown under continuously flooded conditions. Under the nonflooded conditions, rice dry matter and leaf P increased with the addition of P, but less so than in flooded soils. Leaf P concentrations and shoot dry matter responded strongly to the addition of lime. The increase in shoot dry matter of rice with lime and P application in nonflooded soil was associated with a significant decline in soluble Al in the soil and an increase in plant P uptake. The current experiments show that the loss of soil‐water saturation may be associated with the inhibition of P absorption by excess soluble Al. By contrast, flooding decreased exchangeable Al to levels below the threshold for toxicity in rice. In addition, the decreased P availability with loss of soil‐water saturation may have been associated with a greater phosphate sorption capacity of the soils during flooding and after reoxidation due to occlusion of P within ferric oxyhydroxides formed.     

Immobilization of Zinc Fertilizer in Flooded Soils Monitored by Adapted DTPA Soil Test

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a persistent problem in flooded rice (Oryza sativa L.). Severe Zn deficiency causes loss of grain yield, and rice grains with low Zn content contribute to human nutritional Zn deficiencies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) extraction method for use with reduced soils and to assess differences in plant availability of native and fertilizer Zn from oxidized and reduced soils. The DTPA‐extractable Zn decreased by 60% through time after flooding when the extraction was done on field‐moist soil but remained at original levels when air‐dried prior to extraction. In a pot experiment with one calcareous and one noncalcareous soil, moist‐soil DTPA‐extractable Zn and plant Zn uptake both decreased after flooding compared with the oxidized soil treatment for both soils. In the flooded treatment of the calcareous soil, both plant and soil Zn concentrations were equal to or less than critical deficiency levels even after fertilization with 50 kg Zn ha^?1. We concluded that Zn availability measurements for rice at low redox potentials should be made on reduced soil rather than air‐dry soil and that applied Zn fertilizer may become unavailable to plants after flooding.     

Using diffusive gradients in thin films technique for in-situ measurement of labile phosphorus around Oryza sativa L. roots in flooded paddy soils

Behavior of phosphorus(P) in flooded rice soil is controlled by iron(Fe) redox cycling in root-zone. In this study, we applied a novel approach—the diffusive gradients in thin films(DGT) technique—for investigating the in-situ distribution of labile phosphorus(P) and Fe in close proximity to Asian rice(Oryza sativa L.) roots at submillimeter to millimeter spatial resolutions during the seedling and booting stages. We conducted a seven-year field experiment under rice-wheat rotation with different P fertilizer treatments. The results showed a significant and strong positive relationship of the average DGT-labile P concentration with soil Olsen P(R2= 0.77, P < 0.01) and with rice total P concentration(R²= 0.62, P < 0.05). Furthermore, results on one-and two-dimensional changes of DGT-labile P indicated that fertilization only in the wheat season produced sufficient amounts of labile P in the flooded paddy soils, similar to when fertilizer was applied only in the rice season;dissolved P concentrations, however, were lower. A co-occurrence and significant positive correlation(P < 0.01) between DGT-labile P and Fe indicated Fe-coupled mobilization of P in flooded paddy soils. These results collectively indicated that the DGT technique provided information on in-situ distribution of labile P and its variability in close proximity to rice roots. This suggests that the DGT technique can improve our understanding of in-situ and high-resolution labile P processes in paddy soils and can provide useful information for optimizing P fertilization.     

Urea persistence in floodwater and soil used for flooded rice production

Urea is a common fertilizer in delayed‐flood rice production in the United States, and its use worldwide has increased dramatically in recent decades. This study aimed to directly quantify urea‐N persistence in floodwater and soil used for rice production. We conducted a set of three laboratory experiments to investigate urea‐N presence in the floodwater and soil. Untreated urea was applied to dry or wet soil and flooded immediately or urea treated with the urease inhibitor N‐(n‐butyl)‐thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT), or untreated urea was applied to dry soil and flooded after a 5‐day delay. Urea‐N was analysed colorimetrically (using the microplate‐adapted, diacetyl monoxime method) in the floodwater, and at 2‐cm intervals in soil after 10‐cm long, silt‐loam soil columns were flooded for 12, 24, 48 and 96 h. The only management practice that led to insignificant urea‐N concentrations in floodwaters was the application of urea followed by a 5‐day delay before flooding. Urea‐N can persist in floodwaters for an estimated 98 and 120 h after immediately flooding dry‐soil‐applied or wet‐soil‐applied untreated urea, respectively. Urea‐N concentrations in floodwaters were up to 33 times less when dry‐soil‐applied than wet‐soil‐applied. Average NBPT‐treated urea‐N concentrations in soil ranged up to 63 mg/kg after 24 h of flooding and were <1 mg/kg after 96 h of flooding. The 5‐day delay resulted in ≤1 mg urea‐N/kg soil when untreated urea was applied. Generally, the threat of N entering adjacent waterways in the form of urea is likely to be limited because of its short‐term persistence (≤120 h) in rice floodwater.     

Dehydrogenase and invertase activities of flooded soils

The dehydrogenase and invertase activities of three soils were studied under flooded and nonflooded (60% water holding capacity) conditions. Flooding increased (× 1.25 to 2.50) the dehydrogenase activity. In contrast, invertase activity decreased considerably upon flooding. The addition of rice straw increased the invertase activity under both water regimes, but dehydrogenase activity only under flooded conditions.     

Effects of rice‐straw and phosphorus application on production and emission of methane from tropical rice soil

Rice‐straw amendment increased methane production by 3‐fold over that of unamended control. Application of P as single superphosphate at 100 μg (g soil)^–1 inhibited methane (CH₄) production distinctly in flooded alluvial rice soil, in the absence more than in the presence of rice straw. CH₄ emission from rice plants (cv. IR72) from alluvial soil treated with single superphosphate as basal application, in the presence and absence of rice straw, and held under non‐flooded and flooded conditions showed distinct variations. CH₄ emission from non‐flooded soil amended with rice straw was high and almost similar to that of flooded soil without rice‐straw amendment. The cumulative CH₄ efflux was highest (1041 mg pot^–1) in rice‐straw‐amended flooded soil. Appreciable methanogenic reactions in rice‐straw‐amended soils were evident under both flooded and non‐flooded conditions. Rice‐straw application substantially altered the balance between total aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms even in non‐flooded soil. The mitigating effects of single‐superphosphate application or low‐moisture regime on CH₄ production and emission were almost nullified due to enhanced activities of methanogenic archaea in the presence of rice straw.     

Effects of soil flooding and organic matter addition on plant accessible phosphorus in a tropical paddy soil: an isotope dilution study

Plant growth experiments were conducted to reveal the mechanism by which organic matter (OM) and soil flooding enhance phosphorus (P) bioavailability for rice. It was postulated that reductive dissolution of iron‐(III) [Fe(III)] oxyhydroxides in soil releases occluded phosphate ions (PO₄), i.e., PO₄ that is not isotopically exchangeable in the original soil prior to flooding. Rice was grown in P‐deficient soil treated with factorial combinations of addition of mineral P (0, 50 mg P kg^?1), OM (0, ≈ 20.5 g OM kg^?1 as cattle manure +/– rice straw) and water treatments (flooded vs. non‐flooded). The OM was either freshly added just before flooding or incubated moist in soil for 6 months prior to flooding; nitrogen and potassium were added in all treatments. The soil exchangeable P was labeled with ³³PO₄ prior to flooding. The plant accessible P in soil, the so‐called L‐value, was determined from the ³³P/³¹P ratio in the plants. The L‐values were inconsistently affected by flooding in contrast with the starting hypothesis. The OM and P addition to soil clearly increased the L‐value and, surprisingly, the increase due to OM application was larger than the total P addition to soil. An additional isotope exchange study in a soil extract (E‐value) at the end of the experiment showed that the E‐value increased less than the total P addition with OM. This suggests that plants preferentially take up unlabeled P from the OM in the rhizosphere compared to labeled labile inorganic P. The effects of soil flooding on P bioavailability is unlikely related to an increase of the quantity of bio‐accessible P in soil (L‐value) but is likely explained by differences in P mobility in soil.     

The long‐term soil phosphorus balance across Chinese arable land

Quantifying temporal and spatial variation of soil phosphorus (P) input, output and balance across Chinese arable land is necessary for better P management strategies. Here, we address this challenge using a soil P budget to analyse the soil P balance in arable land across the whole of China, for the period 1980–2012. Results indicated that the total P input to soil increased from 22.5 kg P/ha in 1980 to 79.1 kg P/ha in 2012. However, the total P output from soil only increased from 17.9 kg P/ha in 1980 to 36.9 kg P/ha in 2012. Therefore, the average net soil P surplus in China increased from 4.6 kg P/ha in 1980 to 42.1 kg P/ha in 2012. Our research found great variation in soil P balances across different regions. Soil P balance varied between regions with the order of southeast (SE) > north central (NC) and the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River (MLYR) > southwest (SW) > northwest (NW) > northeast (NE). Phosphorus that has accumulated in agricultural soil across China could theoretically meet crop P demands for approximately 4.8–12.0 yrs, depending on the bioavailability of P stored in soils. Increasing the return rates of manure and straw could substantially reduce the demand for fertilizer‐P. This paper represents a basis for more targeted, regionally informed P fertilizer recommendations in Chinese soils.     

Effect of phosphorus competition on arsenic bioavailability in dry and flooded soils: comparative study using diffusive gradients in thin films and chemical extraction methods

Purpose

Phosphorus influence on arsenic bioavailability in soils and its toxicity to plants is widely recognized. This work compares competitive influence of P on As bioavailability in dry and flooded soils.

Materials and methods

Pot experiments were carried out in dry and flooded soils, respectively. Bioavailable As in soils was measured using diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT), soil solution concentration, and three single chemical extraction methods.

Results and discussion

P concentration at 50 mg/kg promoted wheat growth in dry soil. At concentrations above 50 mg/kg, P competition inhibited wheat growth and enhanced As toxicity. In flooded soil, the rice height and biomass decreased with the increase of P addition. P concentrations above 800 mg/kg were lethal to the rice. The content of As absorbed by wheat and rice roots as well as shoots increased with the increase of P concentration. The bioavailability of As in wheat- and rice-grown soils, determined by all methods, also increased with the increase of P concentration. The correlation analysis between the bioavailable As measured by the all three methods and the content of As in plants showed a significant positive correlation. The Pearson correlation coefficient for the DGT method was higher comparing to all other methods. DGT-induced fluxes in soils (DIFS) modeling further showed sharp decreases of T_c (the characteristic time to reach equilibrium between available solid As pool and soil solution As from DGT perturbation) and increases of desorption and adsorption rate constants (k₁ and k_?1) of As in P-amended soils, reflecting that the kinetic release of As from available solid As pools became much easy from P competition.

Conclusions

P competition in both dry and flooded soils could significantly increase bioavailability of As and further increase its toxicity. Competition effect was more pronounced in flooded soil. DGT is a more accurate method for As bioavailability evaluation in both dry and flooded soils.

     

Relation between soil P test values and mobilization of dissolved and particulate P from the plough layer of typical Danish soils from a long‐term field experiment with applied P fertilizers

Accumulation of phosphorus (P) in agricultural topsoils can contribute to leaching of P which may cause eutrophication of surface waters. An understanding of P mobilization processes in the plough layer is needed to improve agricultural management strategies. We compare leaching of total dissolved and particulate P through the plough layer of a typical Danish sandy loam soil subjected to three different P fertilizer regimes in a long‐term field experiment established in 1975. The leaching experiment used intact soil columns (20 cm diameter, 20 cm high) during unsaturated conditions. The three soils had small to moderate labile P contents, expressed by water‐extractable P (3.6–10.7 mg/kg), Olsen P (11–28 mg/kg) and degree of P saturation (DPS) (25–34%). Mobilization of total dissolved P (TDP) increased significantly (P < 0.05) from the intact soil columns with increasing labile P, whereas the increase in particulate P (PP) with increasing labile P content was modest and statistically insignificant. We found concentrations up to 1.5 mg TP/L for the plough layer of this typical Danish sandy loam soil. This highlights that even a moderate labile P content can be a potential source of TDP from the plough layer, and that a lower concentration margin of optimum agronomic P levels should be considered.     

Effect of organic residue amendment on mineralization of nitrogen in flooded rice soils under laboratory conditions

Abstract

This study was undertaken to assess the mineralization of nitrogen (N) in rice soils amended with organic residues under flooded condition. A lab incubation study with a 3x3 factorial design (two replications) was conducted with three rice soils (Joydebpur, Faridpur, and Thakurgaon) receiving the following treatments: 1) control, 2) rice straw (Oryza sativa L.), or 3) pea vine (Pisum sativum L.). The organic residue (25 mg straw g^‐1 soil) was mixed with soil and glass beads (1:1, soil to beads ratio), and transferred into a Pyrex leaching tube, flooded and then incubated at 35°C for up to 12 weeks. The soils in the leaching tubes were leached (while maintaining flooded condition) at 1,2,4, 8, and 12 weeks with deionized water for determination of NH₄‐N, NO₃‐N, pH, and Eh. Nitrogen mineralization in soils amended with rice straw was somewhat different than that of soils treated with pea vine. Soil treated with rice straw had a higher N mineralization rate than soils treated with pea vine, which was due to a lower carbon (C):N ratio for rice straw. The potentially mineralizable N pool (N_o) in soils amended with rice straw and pea vine under flooded conditions, estimated using a 1st order exponential equation, were 7 to 15 times, and 3 to 9 times greater for rice straw N_o values and pea vine, respectively, than the control. The K_N values for unamended soils ranged from 0.35 to 0.52 mg N kg^‐1 wk^‐1 and rice straw and pea vine treated soils were from 0.75 to 1.22 and 0.46 to 0.58 mgN kg^‐1 wk^‐1. The lower N_o and K_N values in pea vine treatments suggested there was greater immobilization of N than in rice straw treatments.     

Evaluation of preflooding effects on iron extractability and phytoavailability in highly calcareous soil in containers

Previous pot cropping and laboratory incubation experiments were consistent with field observations showing that temporary flooding before cropping can increase the availability of soil Fe to plants. To study the effect of temporary flooding on changes in soil Fe phytoavailability we used 24 highly calcareous, Fe chlorosis–inducing soils to carry out a pot experiment where peanut and chickpea were successively grown after flooding for 30 d. At the end of the cropping experiment, the preflooded soil samples exhibited higher concentrations of acid oxalate‐, citrate/ascorbate‐ and diethylenetriaminepentacetic acid (DTPA)–extractable Fe (Fe_ox, Fe_ca, and Fe_DTPA, respectively) than the control (nonflooded) samples. Also, Fe_ox and Fe_ca exhibited no change by effect of reflooding of the cropped soils or three wetting–drying cycles in freeze‐dried slurries of soils previously incubated anaerobically for several weeks. Leaf chlorophyll concentration (LCC) in both peanut and chickpea was greatly increased by preflooding. The best predictor for LCC was Fe_ox, followed by Fe_ca and Fe_DTPA. The LCC–soil Fe relationships found suggest that the Fe species extracted by oxalate and citrate/ascorbate from preflooded soils were more phytoavailable than those extracted from control soils. However, the increased phytoavailability of extractable Fe forms was seemingly limited to the first crop (peanut). Flooding dramatically increased Fe_DTPA; however, high Fe_DTPA levels did not result in high LCC values, particularly in the second crop. Therefore, this test is a poor predictor of the severity of Fe chlorosis in preflooded soils.     

Unlocking fixed soil phosphorus upon waterlogging can be promoted by increasing soil cation exchange capacity

Phosphorus (P) adsorbed by iron (Fe) oxyhydroxides in soil can be released when the Fe(III) minerals are reductively dissolved after soil flooding. However, this release is limited in tropical soils with large Fe contents and previous studies have suggested that P sorbs or precipitates with newly formed Fe(II) minerals. This hypothesis is tested here by scavenging Fe²⁺ in flooded soils by increasing the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soil through resin application (30 cmol_c kg^?1; Na‐form). Three soils from rice paddies with contrasting properties were incubated in aerobic and anaerobic conditions with or without resin and with or without addition of organic matter (OM) to stimulate redox reactions. Dissolved Fe was 0.1–1.1 mm in unamended anaerobic soils and decreased to less than 0.07 mm with resin addition. Anaerobic soils without resin and aerobic soils with or without resin had marginal available P concentrations (<2 mg P kg^?1; anion‐exchange membrane P). In contrast, available P increased 3‐ to 14‐fold in anaerobic soils treated with resins, reaching 16 mg P kg^?1 in combination with extra OM. Application of Ca‐forms of resin did not stimulate P availability and dissolved Ca concentrations were larger than in unamended soils. Resin addition can increase P availability, probably by a combination of reducing solution Fe²⁺ (thereby limiting the formation of Fe(II) minerals) and increasing the OM solubility and availability through reducing dissolved Ca²⁺. The soil CEC is a factor controlling the net P release in submerged soils.     

Flooding effects on soil phenol oxidase activity and phenol release during rice straw decomposition

Phenol oxidase (Pox) plays a key role in soil C cycle and its presence may affect soil C mineralization during crop residue decomposition. To examine soil dynamics and relationships between Pox, phenols, Fe²⁺, and C mineralization, we designed a 53‐d laboratory experiment conducted with and without rice straw addition and under non‐flooded and flooded conditions. The results demonstrate that rice straw can indeed decompose faster under flooded conditions. The addition of rice straw significantly increased soil Pox activity (up to 15‐fold), but only under flooded conditions. Rice straw application increased alkali extractable phenol (AEP) concentration by 129% at day 4. However, flooded conditions reduced soil AEP by 61% and 49% at day 53 with and without rice straw application, respectively. Phenol oxidase activity was positively correlated with dissolved organic C and Fe²⁺, while negatively related to AEP, which itself was positively correlated with C mineralization (i.e., CO₂ emission rates). Also, all relationships between soil Pox, AEP, Fe²⁺, and C were stronger under flooded conditions. We therefore conclude that flooded conditions in paddy soil may promote straw decomposition as a result of the stimulation of Pox activity and phenol decomposition.