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 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.     

Evaluation of some chemical extractants for determination of exchangeable ammonium in tropical rice soils

Abstract

Seven rice soils varying in texture, pH, organic matter and total nitrogen content were extracted with 1N and 2N KCl, 1N and 2N Nacl, 10% Nacl at pH 2.5, N CH₃ CooNa at pH 3.0, and Morgan's reagent using a soil: solution ratio of 1:10. The ammonium in the extracts was determined by steam distillation with MgO.

The normality of KCl or Nacl had no significant effect on the amount of NH₄ ⁺ ‐N extracted but KCl proved a better extractant than Nacl. However, Nacl at pH 2.5 generally extracted significantly higher amounts of NH₄ ⁺ ‐N as compared to the neutral salt solution. N CH₃ CooNa at pH 3.0 did not extract more NH₄ ⁺ than Morgan's reagent. Overall, KCl appeared to be better than Nacl; Nacl at pH 2.5 N CH₃ CooNa and Morgan's reagent were either equally effective or better for some of the soils as compared to KCl. However, when recovery of the known amount of NH₄ ⁺‐N applied to soils was used as a criterion, the efficiency of these chemicals were in the following descending order: KCl > NaCl, pH 2.5 > NaCl > CH₃CooNa, pH 3.0 > Morgan's reagent.     

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.     

Characterization and implication of phytolith-associated potassium in rice straw and paddy soils

Rice straw contains up to 2.3% K in dry matter, including potassium (K) subcompartmented in phytoliths, complex siliceous structures formed in plant tissue via precipitation of Si. Rice straw is usually returned to the soil as a conventional practice to sustain soil nutrients, and therefore, the K pool accompanied with rice straw phytoliths is also cycled. Based on phytoliths obtained by ashing of rice straw at 400 °C and dissolution experiments using batch extraction in combination with physical separation of phytoliths by heavy liquid, this study evaluated the phytolith K(phytK) pool in rice straw and aged phytoliths in paddy soils. Entrapped organic matter containing K within phytolith silica cells was visualized by X-ray tomographic microscopy, and releases of this phytK pool accompanying phytolith dissolution were quantified. A 1% Na₂CO₃ solution, which has been commonly used to extract amorphous Si and to quantify soil phytoliths, showed obvious responses for K derived from phytolith dissolution, indicating that the Na₂CO₃ method can be developed for measurement of phytK. In 13 soil samples, Na₂CO₃-dissolvable K content assignable to phytK was 0.55 ± 0.39 g kg^?1 in the puddled horizon, suggesting the phytK pool is of high significance for the management of K in paddy soils.     

秸秆还田对土壤还原性和水稻根系生长及产量的影响

为明确油菜秸秆还田对土壤环境及水稻根系生长的影响,该研究采用田间试验与栽培模拟试验相结合的方法,分析了油菜秸秆还田后,稻田土壤氧化还原电位(EH值)、还原性物质总量和Fe2+含量的变化规律及水稻苗期根系数量、质量、体积、长度和伤流强度等的变化规律。结果表明,1)油菜秸秆覆盖或翻埋条件下,稻田土壤氧化还原电位日均变化量(RCEH值)表现为先降低后增加的趋势,而土壤还原性物质总量日均变化量(RCRRM值)和土壤二价铁含量日均变化量(RCFe值)表现为先增加后降低的趋势;其中水稻移栽后14~18 d土壤RCEH值最低,移栽后10~14 d和14~22 d土壤RCRRM值(0.28~0.62 cmol/(kg·d))和RCFe值(5.0~31.6μg/(kg·d))达到最大。2)油菜秸秆覆盖或翻埋条件下,随着秸秆还田量的增加,水稻根系总量(数量、质量、体积和长度)、白根数量和根系伤流强度显著降低;与覆盖相比,油菜秸秆翻埋对水稻根系伤流日均变化量(RC_(RBI))的影响时间更长,水稻根系体积日均变化量(RCRVT值)和质量日均变化量(RCRQT值)的缓慢增长期延长了4 d。3)水稻移栽后10~22 d,油菜秸秆还田对稻田土壤环境和水稻根系生长的影响最显著;移栽后27~32 d,油菜秸秆还田对水稻根系生长的影响程度显著降低。油菜秸秆还田条件下,随着秸秆还田量增加,水稻苗期的土壤氧化还原电位显著降低,土壤还原性物质总量和Fe2+含量显著增加;水稻根系总量(数量、质量、体积和长度)和根系活力(白根数量和根系伤流强度)显著降低。在四川油稻两熟区,油菜秸秆还田量以全量还田为宜,适宜机械作业的田块以油菜秸秆翻埋还田为宜。     

Soil phosphorus dynamics in a Vertisol as affected by cattle manure and nitrogen fertilization in soybean‐wheat system

Repeated application of phosphorus (P) as superphosphate either alone or in conjunction with cattle manure and fertilizer N may affect the P balance and the forms and distribution of P in soil. During 7 years, we monitored 0.5 M NaHCO₃ extractable P (Olsen‐P) and determined the changes in soil inorganic P (P_i) and organic P (P_o) caused by a yearly dose of 52 kg P ha^—1 as superphosphate and different levels of cattle manure and fertilizer N application in a soybean‐wheat system on Vertisol. In general, the contents of Olsen‐P increased with conjunctive use of cattle manure. However, increasing rate of fertilizer nitrogen (N) reduced the Olsen‐P due to larger P exploitation by crops. The average amount of fertilizer P required to increase Olsen‐P by 1 mg kg^—1 was 10.5 kg ha^—1 without manure and application of 8 t manure reduced it to 8.3 kg ha^—1. Fertilizer P in excess of crop removal accumulated in labile (NaHCO₃‐P_i and P_o) and moderately labile (NaOH‐P_i and P_o) fractions linearly and manure application enhanced accumulation of P_o. The P recovered as sum of different fractions varied from 91.5 to 98.7% of total P (acid digested, P_t). Excess fertilizer P application in presence of manure led to increased levels of Olsen‐P in both topsoil and subsoil. In accordance, the recovery of P_t from the 0—15 cm layer was slightly less than the theoretical P (P added + change in soil P — P removed by crops) confirming that some of the topsoil P may have migrated to the subsoil. The P fractions were significantly correlated with apparent P balance and acted as sink for fertilizer P.     

Growth,phosphorus uptake,and rhizosphere microbial‐community composition of a phosphorus‐efficient wheat cultivar in soils differing in pH

In a pot experiment, the P‐efficient wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar Goldmark was grown in ten soils from South Australia covering a wide range of pH (four acidic, two neutral, and four alkaline soils) with low to moderate P availability. Phosphorus (100 mg P kg^–1) was supplied as FePO₄ to acidic soils, CaHPO₄ to alkaline, and 1:1 mixture of FePO₄ and CaHPO₄ to neutral soils. Phosphorus uptake was correlated with P availability measured by anion‐exchange resin and microbial biomass P in the rhizosphere. Growth and P uptake were best in the neutral soils, lower in the acidic, and poorest in the alkaline soils. The good growth in the neutral soils could be explained by a combination of extensive soil exploitation by the roots and high phosphatase activity in the rhizosphere, indicating microbial facilitation of organic‐P mineralization. The plant effect (soil exploitation by roots) appeared to dominate in the acidic soils. Alkaline phosphatase and diesterase activities in acidic soils were lower than in neutral soils, but strongly increased in the rhizosphere compared with the bulk soil, suggesting that microorganisms contribute to P uptake in these acidic soils. Shoot and root growth and P uptake per unit root length were lowest in the alkaline soils. Despite high alkaline phosphatase and diesterase activities in the alkaline soils, microbial biomass P was low, suggesting that the enzymes could not mineralize sufficient organic P to meet the demands of plants and microorganisms. Microbial‐community composition, assessed by fatty acid methylester (FAME) analysis, was strongly dependent on soil pH, whereas other soil properties (organic‐C or CaCO₃ content) were less important or not important at all (soil texture).     

Application of low‐phosphorus‐containing legume residues reduces extractable phosphorus in a tropical Ultisol

Application of legume green manure (GM) is suggested to be effective in increasing the availability of native soil phosphorus (P) and the dissolution and utilization of phosphate rock (PR)‐P by food crops. Experiments were conducted to study the dynamics of extractable P (P extracted by Bray‐1‐extracting solution) of an Ultisol amended with or without GM residues of contrasting P concentrations in the absence of growing plants. In two separate experiments, GM residues of Aschynomene afraspera (a flood‐tolerant legume) and of Crotalaria micans (upland) with varying P concentrations were added to an acidic soil amended with PR‐P or triple superphosphate (TSP) in plastic bottles. Soil moisture was brought to field capacity of the soil in the upland experiment and saturated with distilled water in the lowland setup. This was done to simulate aerobic upland and anaerobic lowland soil conditions in the relevant plastic bottles. Only P concentration of the residues added varied, while lignin and C : N ratios were similar. A temperature of 25°C was maintained throughout the experiment. Changes in soil extractable Bray‐1‐P were measured at the end of the incubation period (60 or 80 d). In the aerobic soils, extractable P in the combined PR+GM or TSP+GM treatments was significantly lower than in the PR‐ or TSP‐ treated soils. The amendment with GM residues alone significantly increased Bray‐1‐P over the unamended control in the case of the inorganic P‐fertilized GM residues. The trend in extractable P was similar in the soils incubated under anaerobic conditions. However, in the case of PR, concentrations of P extracted by Bray‐1 solution did not significantly change in the presence or absence of GM. The results suggest that the incorporation of GM residues with low P concentration does not lead to a net P release in upland or lowland soils. These results have implications for nutrient cycling in farming systems in W Africa as most of the soils are poor and very low in available P.     

The phosphorus status of German cropland—An inventory of top‐ and subsoils

Background : In search for more sustainable crop production, the subsoil has recently come into focus as considerable reservoir of nutrients and water. Aims : Dimensions of subsoil phosphorus (P) reserves are yet largely unknown but crucial for identifying regions suitable to include subsoil into sustainable management strategies. Methods : We analyzed stocks of total and plant‐available (calcium acetate lactate‐extractable) P in 96 representative soil profiles of German arable land down to 1 m depth. Results : We found that the German arable soils stored, on average, 8 t ha^?1 of total P, of which nearly 500 kg ha^?1 were readily plant‐available. Notably, one third of plant‐available P was located below the plow layer and one fifth even at depths below 0.5 m. The depth gradients of plant‐available P stocks were affected more by major reference soil group than by texture. Generally, Chernozem but also Anthrosol, Gleysol and Fluvisol exhibited the largest P stocks in German cropland. The contribution of plant‐available P to total P stocks was larger in sandy and extremely acidic (pH < 4.5) soils compared with more fine‐grained and slightly acidic to alkaline soils, possibly because fertilization compensated for overall lower total P stocks at these sites. Generally, the more P was stored in topsoils, the more P was stored also in subsoils. Conclusions : A hypothetical crop utilization of 10% from plant‐available P stocks and 0.1% from total P stocks from shallow subsoil could compensate for P fertilization by ca. 8 kg ha^?1, but the rate of plant‐available P replenishment in subsoil likely remains the crucial factor for the role of subsoil P stocks in crop nutrition. Generally, the large P reserves found in subsoil could act as an ‘insurance' system for crops.     

The use of biologically based phosphorus fractions to evaluate soil P availability in reduced P‐input paddy soils

Chemical soil phosphorus (P) extraction has been widely used to characterize and understand changes in soil P fractions; however, it does not adequately capture rhizosphere processes. In this study, we used the biologically based phosphorus (BBP ) grading method to evaluate the availability and influencing factors of soil P under four P fertilizer regimes in a typical rice–wheat cropping rotation paddy field. Soil P was assessed after seven rice‐growth seasons at multiple growth stages: the seedling, the booting and the harvest stage. Soil CaCl₂‐P, citrate‐P and HC l‐P (inorganic P, Pi) as well as enzyme‐P (organic P, Po) were not significantly different between soil treated with P fertilizer during the wheat season only (PW ) and during the rice season only (PR ) compared with soil treated during both the rice and the wheat seasons (PR +W) at all three rice‐growth stages. No P fertilizer application during either season (Pzero) significantly reduced the concentration of soil citrate‐P and HC l‐P at the rice‐seedling and harvest stages. Significant correlations were observed between the HC l extraction and Olsen‐P (R ² = 0.823, P  <  0.001), followed by enzyme‐P (R ² = 0.712, P  <  0.001), citrate‐P (R ² = 0.591, P  <  0.001) and CaCl₂‐P (R ² = 0.133, P  <  0.05). Further redundancy analysis (RDA ) suggested that soil alkaline phosphatase (S‐ALP ) activity played a role in soil P speciation changes and was significantly correlated with enzyme‐P, citrate‐P and HC l‐P. These results may improve our ability to characterize and understand changes in soil P status while minimizing the overapplication of P fertilizer.     

水稻旱作下土壤水分状况和施用磷肥对红壤有效磷含量的影响

通过盆栽和模拟实验探讨了水分状况和施磷量对红壤有效磷的影响。结果表明,水分状况和施磷量均显著地影响红壤有效磷含量,二者的交互作用达极显著水平;同时也均显著地影响水稻生物量和对磷的吸收量,二者的交互作用达显著和极显著水平。红壤有效磷含量基本上随红壤水分含量和施磷量的增加而提高,随水稻生长时间的延长而降低;水稻的生物量和对磷的吸收量均随施磷量的增加和水稻生长时间的延长而增加,但以中水条件下最高。在保证80%的饱和持水量和常规氮、钾等养分投入条件下,施磷量为67.5 kg hm-2就可以满足水稻旱作的生长需求。     

Isolation and characterization of labile organic phosphorus pools in soils from the Askov long‐term field experiments

Isolierung und Kennzeichnung des labilen organischen Phosphor‐Pools in Böden des Langzeitdüngungsexperimentes Askov Labiler organischer Phosphor (P_o) im Boden spielt eine wichtige Rolle in der P‐Ernährung der Pflanzen und ist bedeutend hinsichtlich der Gewässereutrophierung. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit werden neuere Ergebnisse zu den Eigenschaften des labilen P_o und seiner Reaktion auf unterschiedliche Düngungssysteme diskutiert. Die Untersuchungen fanden an Böden des Langzeitexperimentes zur organischen und anorganischen Düngung in Askov statt. Unser analytischer Ansatz basierte auf einer Kombination der Extraktion von labilem P_o mittels makroporösem Anionenaustauscher‐Harz und der Kennzeichnung von Struktur und Herkunft des NaOH‐extrahierbaren P_o mittels ³¹P‐NMR‐Spektroskopie. Die Analysen wurden an der Feinerde und an Korngrößenfraktionen durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Harz‐Extraktion einen aktiven Pool an P_o isoliert, welcher v.a. aus mikrobiell synthetisierten Strukturen besteht. Die Größe dieses Pools variiert im Jahresgang und hängt von der P‐Düngung ab. Die Art des Düngers (NPK gegenüber Stallmist und Gülle) scheint demgegenüber den labilen P_o kaum zu beeinflussen. Der größte Teil des leicht verfügbaren P_o ist in der Tonfraktion lokalisiert. Es ist daher zu schließen, dass diese Fraktion wichtig im kurzfristigen Umsatz von P_o ist.     

等养分条件下稻草还田替代双季早稻氮钾肥比例的研究

【目的】研究等量氮磷钾养分投入条件下,长期稻草原位全量还田配施化肥对双季早稻氮 (N)、磷 (P)、钾 (K) 养分吸收累积、转运及养分利用的影响,为南方稻区稻草资源有效利用,维持并提高土壤肥力及水稻合理施肥提供理论依据。【方法】以江西温圳国家级耕地质量监测点长期定位试验为研究对象,陆两优 996 为供试材料,在不施化肥和施用化肥基础上设稻草还田、稻草烧灰还田和稻草不还田共 6 个处理,除空白对照外,所有处理养分投入量相等。于 2015 年在早稻移栽期、分蘖期、幼穗分化期、抽穗期和成熟期取地上部植株样,分析水稻植株不同部位的 N、P、K 含量和累积量以及转运比例,并计算 N、P、K 养分利用效率。【结果】稻草还田提高了水稻产量,施肥条件下稻草还田处理比稻草烧灰还田和稻草不还田处理平均增产 2.9%～ 6.4%,比不施肥区产量增幅高达 23.8%～ 26.0%,且差异达显著水平。无论是施肥区处理,还是无肥区处理,与稻草烧灰还田和稻草不还田处理相比,稻草还田植株中 K 含量及 N、P、K 积累量在整个生育期均较高,而 N、P 含量在生育后期较高,N、P、K 积累量以施肥区处理大于相应的无肥区处理;稻草还田提高水稻 N、P、K 养分农学效率、回收率和养分偏生产力,且 N、K 差异达显著水平,同时显著增加 K 的收获指数;稻草还田还提高了抽穗至成熟期茎鞘中 N、P、K 的转运量、转运率及转移养分对籽粒的贡献率,而叶片各处理间差异不显著。【结论】稻草还田配施化肥能提高水稻产量,同时还可以调节 N、P、K 养分的积累和转运,提高养分的吸收利用效率。本试验条件下,稻草还田可替代化肥氮肥 (N) 29.5%、磷肥 (P₂O₅) 4.0% 和钾肥 (K₂O) 50.0%。综合考虑,稻草还田相比稻草烧灰还田而言是南方稻区土壤养分管理实现高效利用的有效途径之一。     

Soil phosphorus availability and rice phosphorus uptake in paddy fields under various agronomic practices

Agronomic practices affect soil phosphorus(P) availability, P uptake by plants, and subsequently the efficiency of P use. A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of various agronomic practices(straw incorporation, paddy water management, nitrogen(N) fertilizer dose, manure application,and biochar addition) on soil P availability(e.g., soil total P(STP), soil available P(SAP), soil microbial biomass P(SMBP), and rice P uptake as well as P use efficiency(PUE)) over four cropping seasons in a rice-rice cropping system, in subtropical central China. Compared to the non-straw treatment(control,using full dose of chemical N fertilizer), straw incorporation increased SAP and SMBP by 9.3%–18.5% and 15.5%–35.4%, respectively;substituting half the chemical N fertilizer dose with pig manure and the biochar application increased STP, SAP, and SMBP by 10.5%–48.3%, 30.2%–236.0%, and 19.8%–72.4%,respectively, mainly owing to increased soil P and organic carbon inputs;adding a half dose of N and no N input(reduced N treatments) increased STP and SAP by 2.6%–7.5% and 19.8%–33.7%, respectively, due to decreased soil P outputs. Thus, soil P availability was greatly affected by soil P input and use. The continuous flooding water regime without straw addition significantly decreased SMBP by 11.4% compared to corresponding treatments under a mid-season drainage water regime. Total P uptake by rice grains and straws at the harvest stage increased under straw incorporation and under pig manure application, but decreased under the reduced N treatments and under biochar application at a rate of 48 t ha-1, compared to the control. Rice P uptake was significantly positively correlated with rice biomass, and both were positively correlated with N fertilizer application rates, SAP, SMBP, and STP. Phosphorus use efficiency generally increased under straw incorporation but decreased under the reduced N treatments and under the manure application(with excessive P input), compared to the control. These results showed that straw incorporation can be used to increase soil P availability and PUE while decreasing the use of chemical P fertilizers. When substituting chemical fertilizers with pig manure, excess P inputs should be avoided in order to reduce P accumulation in the soil as well as the environmental risks from non-point source pollution.     

Effects of early mycorrhization and colonized root length on low‐soil‐phosphorus resistance of West African pearl millet

Phosphorus (P) deficiency at early seedling stages is a critical determinant for survival and final yield of pearl millet in multi‐stress Sahelian environments. Longer roots and colonization with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) enhance P uptake and crop performance of millet. Assessing the genotypic variation of early mycorrhization and its effect on plant growth is necessary to better understand mechanisms of resistance to low soil P and to use them in breeding strategies for low P. Therefore, in this study, eight pearl millet varieties contrasting in low‐P resistance were grown in pots under low P (no additional P supply) and high P (+ 0.4 g P pot^?1) conditions, and harvested 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after sowing (WAS). Root length was calculated 2 WAS by scanning of dissected roots and evaluation with WinRhizo software. AM infection (%) and P uptake (shoot P concentration multiplied per shoot dry matter) were measured at each harvest. Across harvests under low P (3.3 mg Bray P kg^?1), resistant genotypes had greater total root length infected with AMF (837 m), higher percentage of AMF colonization (11.6%), and increased P uptake (69.4 mg P plant^?1) than sensitive genotypes (177 m, 7.1% colonization and 46.4 mg P plant^?1, respectively). Two WAS, resistant genotypes were infected almost twice as much as sensitive ones (4.1% and 2.1%) and the individual resistant genotypes differed in the percentage of AMF infection. AMF colonization was positively related to final dry matter production in pots, which corresponded to field performance. Early mycorrhization enhanced P uptake in pearl millet grown under P‐deficient conditions, with the genotypic variation for this parameter allowing selection for better performance under field conditions.     

Changes in phosphorus fractions in three tropical soils amended with corn cob and rice husk biochars

ABSTRACT

The formation of phosphorus (P) compounds including iron-P, aluminum-P and calcium-P in highly weathered tropical soils can be altered upon biochar addition. We investigated the effect of corn cob biochar (CC) and rice husk biochar (RH) pyrolyzed at three temperatures (300°C, 450°C and 650°C) on phosphorus (P) fractions of three contrasting soils. A 90d incubation study was conducted by mixing biochar with soil at a rate of 1% w/w and at 70% field capacity. Sequential P fraction was performed on biochar, soil and soil-biochar mixtures. Increase in most labile P (resin-P_i, NaHCO₃-P_i) and organic P fraction (NaHCO₃-P_o + NaOH-P_o) in CC and RH biochars were inversely related to increasing temperature. HCl-P_i and residual P increased with increasing temperature. Interaction of CC and RH with soils resulted in an increase in most labile P as well as moderately labile P (NaOH-P_i) fractions in the soils. CC increased most labile P in the soils more than RH. The increase in most labile P fraction in soils was more significant at relatively lower temperatures (300°C and 450°C) than 650°C. However, the increase in HCl-P_i and residual P of the soils was more predominant at high temperature (650°C). The study suggested that biochar pyrolyzed at 300–450°C could be used to increase P bioavailability in tropical soils.     

Short-term effects of raw rice straw and its derived biochar on greenhouse gas emission in five typical soils in China

Abstract

A short-term study was conducted to investigate the greenhouse gas emissions in five typical soils under two crop residue management practices: raw rice straw (Oryza sativa L., cv) and its derived biochar application. Rice straw and its derived biochar (two biochars, produced at 350 and 500°C and referred to as BC350 and BC500, respectively) were incubated with the soils at a 5% (weight/weight) rate and under 70% water holding capacity for 28 d. Incorporation of BC500 into soils reduced carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission in all five soils by 4?40% and 62?98%, respectively, compared to the untreated soils, whereas methane (CH₄) emission was elevated by up to about 2 times. Contrary to the biochars, direct return of the straw to soil reduced CH₄ emission by 22?69%, whereas CO₂ increased by 4 to 34 times. For N₂O emission, return of rice straw to soil reduced it by over 80% in two soils, while it increased by up to 14 times in other three soils. When all three greenhouse gases were normalized on the CO₂ basis, the global warming potential in all treatments followed the order of straw > BC350 > control > BC500 in all five soils. The results indicated that turning rice straw into biochar followed by its incorporation into soil was an effective measure for reducing soil greenhouse gas emission, and the effectiveness increased with increasing biochar production temperature, whereas direct return of straw to soil enhanced soil greenhouse gas emissions.     

Speciation of phosphorus in temperate zone forest soils as assessed by combined wet‐chemical fractionation and XANES spectroscopy

Phosphorus availability in terrestrial ecosystems is strongly dependent on soil P speciation. Here we present information on the P speciation of 10 forest soils in Germany developed from different parent materials as assessed by combined wet‐chemical P fractionation and synchrotron‐based X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. Soil P speciation showed clear differences among different parent materials and changed systematically with soil depth. In soils formed from silicate bedrock or loess, Fe‐bound P species (FePO₄, organic and inorganic phosphate adsorbed to Fe oxyhydroxides) and Al‐bound P species (AlPO₄, organic and inorganic phosphate adsorbed to Al oxyhydroxides, Al‐saturated clay minerals and Al‐saturated soil organic matter) were most dominant. In contrast, the P speciation of soils formed from calcareous bedrock was dominated (40–70% of total P) by Ca‐bound organic P, which most likely primarily is inositol hexakisphosphate (IHP) precipitated as Ca₃‐IHP. The second largest portion of total P in all calcareous soils was organic P not bound to Ca, Al, or Fe. The relevance of this P form decreased with soil depth. Additionally, apatite (relevance increasing with depth) and Al‐bound P were present. The most relevant soil properties governing the P speciation of the investigated soils were soil stocks of Fe oxyhydroxides, organic matter, and carbonate. Different types of P speciation in soils on silicate and calcareous parent material suggest different ecosystem P nutrition strategies and biogeochemical P cycling patterns in the respective ecosystems. Our study demonstrates that combined wet‐chemical soil P fractionation and synchrotron‐based XANES spectroscopy provides substantial novel information on the P speciation of forest soils.     

An evaluation of Colwell‐P as a measure of plant‐available phosphorus in soils of volcanic and non‐volcanic origins in the highlands of Papua New Guinea

Various soil test methods including Olsen, Colwell, Bray and Truog have been used to assess the levels of plant‐available P (PAP) in soils situated in the highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Up until now, though, there has been no guarantee that these tests provide valid assessments of PAP in these somewhat atypical organic matter‐rich tropical soils. Furthermore, the critical soil‐P concentrations associated with the tests have been based on studies conducted elsewhere in sub‐tropical and temperate latitudes and as such may or may not be valid for soils or cropping situations in PNG. Soil (Colwell)‐P and leaf‐P data collected during a recent survey of sweet potato gardens in the highlands of PNG were therefore used to determine if useful relationships existed between these variables for different groups of soils, and if they do, to use these relationships to evaluate critical soil Colwell‐P concentrations corresponding to a known critical concentration of P in sweet potato index leaf tissue. Separate, highly significant linear relationships were obtained between leaf‐P and Colwell‐P for soils of volcanic and non‐volcanic origins. Based on these relationships, the critical Colwell‐P concentration for volcanic soils was found to be four times greater than that for non‐volcanic soils, presumably because much of the P extracted from the former soils with alkaline sodium bicarbonate had been chemically ‘fixed’ via sorption and precipitation reactions with sesquioxides and rendered unavailable to plants at ambient soil pH. These critical Colwell‐P concentrations if adopted as benchmark values for the soil groups in question should ensure that the results of future soil fertility surveys involving Colwell‐P assessments are correctly interpreted.