Fifteen-year fallow altered the dynamics of soil phosphorus and cationic balance of a savannah Alfisol

This study was designed to evaluate changes in the dynamics of soil phosphorus and cationic balances of a savannah soil subjected to 45 years of continuous cultivation under different fertilizer management and later left fallow for 15 years. It was conducted on the experimental plots at the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria. Treatments consisted of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), cow dung manure (D) and their combination (DNPK). Results of P fractionation and cationic distribution were compared with previous studies on the same plot 15 years ago. Organic carbon increased from a range of 3–5 g kg^?1 in 1997 to 10.9 g kg^?1 in 2012. Similarly, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soil increased from 6.40 cmol_c kg^?1 in 1997 to 16.4 cmol_c kg¹ in the present study. The degree of saturation of the CEC by Ca²⁺ was 68–79% and 10–20% for Mg²⁺, while that of K⁺ was 1.5–2%. Although there was an uneven trend in depletion and enrichment of the various P pools, however, the fallow period substantially improved the CEC and the plant available P pools of the soil by more than 200% and 6–259%, respectively.