Characterization of Soil Phosphorus in Differently Managed Clay Soil by Chemical Extraction Methods and 31P NMR Spectroscopy

Changes in land use alter the natural cycling of phosphorus (P) in soil. Understanding the chemical nature of these changes is important when developing sustainable management practices for cultivated soils. In this study, we evaluated the ability of commonly used laboratory methods to characterize land use–induced changes in various P pools. Also, the characteristics of soil P revealed by different methods are discussed. Soil samples were taken from three differently managed field plots of the same clay soil: uncultivated grassland and organic and conventional crop rotations. Soil P reserves were characterized using Chang and Jackson and Hedley sequential fractionation procedures and by sodium hydroxide (NaOH)–ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) extraction followed by ³¹P NMR spectroscopy. Both of the tested fractionation methods identified differences in the P pools and provided evidence regarding land use–induced changes. However, the ³¹P NMR analysis suggests that the quality of organic P in this soil was not affected by the change in land use.