Effects of repeated manure and fertilizer phosphorus additions on soil phosphorus dynamics under a soybean-wheat rotation

 Soil P availability and efficiency of applied P may be improved through an understanding of soil P dynamics in relation to management practices in a cropping system. Our objectives in this study were to evaluate changes in plant-available (Olsen) P and in different inorganic P (P_i) and organic P (P₀) fractions in soil as related to repeated additions of manure and fertilizer P under a soybean-wheat rotation. A field experiment on a Typic Haplustert was conducted from 1992 to 1995 wherein the annual treatments included four rates of fertilizer P (0, 11, 22 and 44 kg ha^–1 applied to both soybean and wheat) in the absence and presence of 16 t ha^–1 of manure (applied to soybean only). With regular application of fertilizer P to each crop the level of Olsen P increased significantly and linearly through the years in both manured and unmanured plots. The mean P balance required to raise Olsen P by 1 mg kg^–1 was 17.9 kg ha^–1 of fertilizer P in unmanured plots and 5.6 kg ha^–1 of manure plus fertilizer P in manured plots. The relative sizes of labile NaHCO₃-extractable P_i (NaHCO₃-P_i) and NaHCO₃-extractable P₀ (NaHCO₃-P₀)], moderately labile NaOH-extractable P_i (NaOH-P_i) and NaOH-extractable P₀ (NaOH-P₀)] and stable HCl-extractable P (HCl-P) and H₂SO₄/H₂O₂-extractable P (resisual-P)] P pools were in a 1 : 2.9 : 7.6 ratio. Application of fertilizer P and manure significantly increased NaHCO₃-P_i and -P₀ and NaOH-P_i, and -P₀ fractions and also total P. However, HCl-P and residual-P were not affected. The changes in NaHCO₃-P_i, NaOH-P_i and NaOH-P₀ fractions were significantly correlated with the apparent P balance and were thought to represent biologically dynamic soil P and act as major sources and sinks of plant-available P. Received: 23 October 1997