Influence of phosphate sorption on dispersion of a Ferralsol

Abstract

Soil dispersion induces soil erosion and colloidal leaching. Nutrients are lost at the same time and this causes water contamination. Phosphate is an essential element for living organisms. Because phosphate influences soil dispersion and it is an important limited resource, this influence must be evaluated well in order to diminish negative effects on soil structure. In this paper, we firstly evaluated the influence of phosphate sorption on soil dispersion by calculating repulsive potential energy between soil particles. Ferralsol, which is a typical soil in rainy tropical regions, was used as the material. The dispersion-flocculation phenomena were investigated with absorbance of soil suspension under different pH, phosphate adsorption and electrolyte concentration in an Na-NO₃-PO₄ system. The repulsive potential energy was calculated based on the diffuse double layer theory and the measured zeta potential. We indicated that the measured absorbance increased with the increase of the repulsive potential energy. The repulsive potential energy increased with increasing phosphate sorption up to about 5 to 20 mmol kg^?1 at all pH, and it induced the soil dispersion, because phosphate sorption increased the negative charge of the soil. After its peak, it decreased with increasing phosphate sorption because the electrolyte concentration increased and the electrolyte screened the electric field near the soil surface. The repulsive potential energy also increased with increasing pH because of the increase of the negative charge of the soil. Even at low pH, after a certain amount of phosphate sorption, the soil dispersed due to the increase of repulsive potential energy, although the soil flocculated before phosphate application. Because the soil dispersion causes soil and phosphorus loss, the influence of soil pH and phosphate sorption on the soil dispersion should be considered for good soil management.     

Improvement of wheat and maize crops by inoculating Aspergillus spp. in alkaline soil fertilized with rock phosphate

Aspergillus tubingensis and A. niger were isolated from the landfills of rock phosphate mines and tested for their efficacy to solubilize rock phosphate (RP), and improve plant growth and phosphate (P) uptake by plants grown in soil amended with RP. The results showed that they effectively solubilized RP in Pikovskaya's (PKV) liquid medium and released significantly higher amounts of P into the medium. A. tubingensis solubilized and released 380.8 μg P mL^?1, A. niger showed better efficiency and produced 403.8 μg P mL^?1. Field experiments with two consecutive crops in alkaline agricultural soil showed that inoculation of these fungi along with RP fertilization significantly increased yield and nutrient uptake of wheat and maize plants compared with control soil. P uptake by wheat and maize plants and the available P increased significantly in the RP-amended soil inoculated with fungi compared with control. These results suggest that the fertilizer value of RP can be increased, especially in alkaline soils, by inoculating P-solubilizing fungi.     

Plant availability of isotopically exchangeable and isotopically nonexchangeable phosphate in soils

Isotopically exchangeable P (IEP) is usually considered to be completely plant‐available and the major source of P for plant uptake. The aim of the present study is to test whether plants can, besides IEP, also use non‐IEP and if part of the IEP has an equilibrium concentration in soil solution which is below the minimum concentration, C_Lmin, and can therefore not be taken up by plants. A pot experiment was carried out with maize for two years on two soils, an acid sandy and a neutral loamy soil, either without P fertilizer or fertilized with ten P sources of different solubility. Throughout both years of the study, pots were kept moist either without plants or planted twice with maize (Zea mays L., cv. Athletico). At the end of the experiment, plant P uptake, P concentration in the soil solution (C_L), and P accessible to isotopic exchange within 5 d (E_5d) were measured. Plant growth decreased the E_5d which was about equal to P uptake by maize for most treatments in the acid soil. But for some treatments, i.e., five in the acid and eight in the neutral soil, P uptake was up to 50% larger than the decrease of E_5d, indicating that plants had, besides IEP, also used P from non‐IEP sources. At adequate P supply, both soils had an E_5d of about 100 mg P (kg soil)^–1, but about 30 to 40 mg kg^–1 of this IEP had an equilibrium P concentration in the soil solution below C_Lmin of 0.1 μmol L^–1 at which P would actually not be plant‐available. This study shows that plants take up P mainly from IEP, but not the whole IEP is plant‐available. Furthermore, plants may also use P from non‐IEP sources.     

Microbial biomass phosphorus in soils of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests

Thirty-eight soils from forest sites in central Germany dominated by beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) were sampled to a depth of about 10 cm after careful removal of the overlying organic layers. Microbial biomass P was estimated by the fumigation — extraction method, measuring the increase in NaHCO₃-extractable phosphate. The size of the microbial P pool varied between 17.7 and 174.3 g P g^-1 soil and was on average more than seven times larger than NaHCO₃-extractable phosphate. Microbial P was positively correlated with soil organic C and total P, reflecting the importance of soil organic matter as a P source. The mean microbial P concentration was 13.1% of total P, varying in most soils between 6 and 18. Microbial P and microbial C were significantly correlated with each other and had a mean ratio of 14.3. A wide (5.1–26.3) microbial C: P ratio indicates that there is no simple relatinship between these two parameters. The microbial C: P ratio showed strong and positive correlations with soil pH and cation exchange capacity.     

Plant availability of p in commercial superphosphate fertilizers

Abstract

The quality of phosphate rock (PR) is declining and the use of lower quality PR results In lower water‐soluble and higher citrate‐soluble P in the fertilizer product. A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the plant availability of P in commercial superphosphate fertilizers having various levels of water‐soluble P. Seven commercial fertilizers, Including 6 granular concentrated superphosphates and one normal superphosphate, were evaluated. Reagent grade monocalcium phosphate served as a control. The fertilizers were manufactured from PR deposits located in the United States (Florida, Idaho and North Carolina) and Morocco. Water‐soluble P ranged from 77 to 92 X of the total fertilizer P. Citrate‐soluble, water‐insoluble P ranged from 7 to 20 % of the total fertilizer P. Four of the 5 American fertilizers had a lower percentage of water‐soluble P as compared to the concentrated superphosphate from Morocco. Fertilizers manufactured from U.S. phosphate deposits contained an average of 6 times more Fe and 4 times more Al than the Moroccan concentrated superphosphate.

Each source was added to a Mountvlew slit loam soil (pH = 6.5) at rates to supply 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mg P kg^‐1soil (0, 22.9, 45.8, 68.7, 91.6, and 114.5 ppm P₂O₅, respectively). Sorghum‐sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor) was harvested at 28 and 56 days after planting in the treated soil. Herbage yields and the P concentration in harvested forage were not affected by the source of added P. The effect of the rate of added P on forage yield and P concentration was described by polynomial regression. The granular concentrated superphosphate fertilizers used in this study contained ≥ 80 % of their plant available P in a water‐soluble form and were as effective as reagent grade monocalcium phosphate. Thus the level of water‐soluble P that will be required to reduce the performance of a fertilizer is lower than the levels currently found in American commercial concentrated superphosphates     

A mechanistic model for describing the sorption and desorption of phosphate by soil

A model of phosphate reaction is constructed and its output compared with observations for the sorption and desorption of phosphate by soil. The model has three components: first, the reaction between divalent phosphate ions and a variable-charge surface; second, the assumption that there is a range of values of surface properties and that these are normally distributed; third, the assumption that the initial adsorption induces a diffusion gradient towards the interior of the particle which begins a solid-state diffusion process. The model closely describes the effects on sorption of phosphate of: concentration of phosphate, pH, temperature, and time of contact. It also reproduces the effects on desorption of phosphate of: period of prior contact, period and temperature of desorption, and soil: solution ratio. The model is general and should apply to other specifically adsorbed anions and cations. It suggests that phosphate that has reacted with soil for a long period is not ‘fixed’ but has mostly penetrated into the soil particles. The phosphorus can be recovered slowly if a low enough surface activity is induced.     

黄土丘陵区典型植被土壤剖面的颗粒分形特征

运用分形理论研究陕北安塞五里湾流域5种典型植被0～200 cm土壤剖面土壤颗粒大小分布(particle size distribution,PSD)及其体积分形维数分布特征,并进一步分析土壤PSD的分形维数与土壤有机碳、全氮和含水量的相关性。结果表明:研究区典型植被群落土壤颗粒组成主要为细颗粒(黏粒和粉粒),其中粉粒体积分数占总颗粒的56.82%～71.99%;铁杆蒿草地的细颗粒平均体积分数最大(78.86%),乔木林的最小(65.77%)。5种典型植被群落土壤PSD的体积分形维数介于2.498～2.599,均表现出随着土层深度的增加呈递增趋势;相同土层深度的分形维数呈现出铁杆蒿草地黄芪草地农田灌木林乔木林的趋势,灌木林和农田间差异不显著,其他植被群落间差异显著。典型植被土壤PSD的体积分形维数与黏粒、粉粒的体积分数和含水量呈极显著正相关(P0.01),但与砂粒的体积分数呈极显著负相关(P 0.01),与有机碳含量呈显著负相关(P 0.05)。     

Is occluded phosphate plant‐available?

Background: The phosphate concentration of the soil solution is generally low, allowing sufficient plant nutrition only for a few days. Therefore, supply from various fractions of bound phosphate is essential to meet plant demand. It is known that plants have developed strategies to acquire phosphorus (P) from phosphates adsorbed on clay minerals or oxides, from organically bound phosphates, and from calcium phosphates. However, it is generally assumed that occluded phosphate is not plant‐available. Results: In a pot experiment, two plant species, namely maize (Zea mays L.) and white lupin (Lupinus albus L.), differing in acquisition efficiency, were used to investigate whether Al oxide‐occluded and Fe oxide‐occluded phosphates can be acquired. Artificially prepared Al oxide‐occluded phosphate or Fe oxide‐occluded phosphate, respectively, was added to a subsoil low in available phosphates. It is shown that both plant species were not able to acquire P from Al oxide‐occluded phosphate. Also, maize was incapable of using Fe oxide‐occluded phosphate. In contrast, white lupin took up significant amounts of P from Fe oxide‐occluded phosphate. Conclusion: It is concluded that the strategy to form cluster roots together with their reducing power may allow white lupin to destabilize Fe oxides that occlude phosphates and to mine the soil for this additional phosphate fraction.     

Soil and Tissue Tests to Predict the Phosphorus Requirements of Canola in Southwestern Australia

Canola (oil seed rape, Brassica napus L.) is now a major crop grown on the predominantly sandy soils in southwestern Australia and knowledge about the phosphorus (P) requirements of the crop in the region is limited. The results of 22 experiments done in the region are reported to determine the relationships between absolute seed (grain) yield response to applied P and (1) soil test P (Colwell sodium bicarbonate procedure) and (2) concentration of P measured in dried shoots at the rosette growth stage. Large grain yield responses to applied P occurred when Colwell soil test P values for the top 10 cm of soil were < 20 mg/kg soil and when concentrations of P in dried shoots were < 3.6 g/kg. The fertilizer P requirements for optimal economic return for canola grain production in the region varied from 10–35 kg P/ha. The 9 different canola cultivars used in the experiments from 1987–2005 had no major effect on the relationship between absolute grain yield response to applied P and soil test P. Application of fertilizer P mostly had no significant effects on either oil or protein concentrations in grain.     

Phosphorus speciation and colloidal phosphorus responses to short-term cessation of fertilization in a lime concretion black soil

Long-term excessive application of mineral fertilizer has led to soil acidification and phosphorus(P) accumulation, increasing the risk of P loss and environmental pollution, and cessation of fertilization is widely considered as a cost-effective management strategy to relieve this situation; however, how such cessation influences P speciation and concentrations in a bulk soil and colloidal fractions and whether decreasing P concentration might maintain soil fertility remain unclear. In this stu...     

Estimation of the thermal separation of soil particles from the thermal conductivity under reduced air pressure

Knowledge of thermal conductivity of granular materials under reduced air pressure can be utilized for studying intricate mechanisms of heat transfer in two‐phase systems. We measured the thermal conductivity of three soils of varied texture and two sets of glass beads (GB) under reduced air pressure using a twin heat probe. We also predicted the thermal conductivity of a two‐phase system at reduced air pressure from the modified Woodside & Messmer equation based on the kinetic theory of gases. This equation includes a thermal separation of solid particles (d) defined by the heat conduction. We compared this separation with the geometrical mean separation of solid particles (D). The results showed a linear relation between d and D for the GB, and in all cases d was smaller than D. This suggests that conductive heat transfer in two‐phase GB takes place mainly through air spaces the dimension of which is smaller than D. The d of a Red Yellow soil and an Ando soil, however, were about 200–300 times larger than D. This result seems to be related to the soil aggregation. We showed that in soil aggregates the conduction of heat through the solid was the dominant mode of heat transfer, and the micropores in a soil aggregate had very little effect on the diminished thermal conductivity under reduced air pressure. The decrease in the thermal conductivity of two‐phase soil under reduced air pressure is probably caused by the air molecules confined in interaggregate pore spaces rather than those in the intra‐aggregate pore spaces. The d of soils can be used to represent the thermal separation of the interaggregate pore spaces, and soil aggregates can be treated as single‐grained particles in evaluating heat conduction.     

Assessment of phosphorus availability in soil by introducing P-solubilizing novel bacterial and fungal strains of Lower Himalaya

ABSTRACT

Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for soil quality and plant growth. But little is known about P fractions consequent to microbial inoculation in soils amended with inorganic phosphorus. In this regard, the overall soil P fractions after microbial treatments varied as hydrochloric acid – P (HCl-P) > Sodium hydroxide – P (NaOH-P) > Sodium bicarbonate – P (NaHCO₃-P) > Water – P (H₂O-P) determined through sequential fractionation. Inorganic P amendment of soil increased residual P fractions indicating non-availability of chemical P fertilizers added in soil. Bacterial–fungal co-inoculation, significantly increased NaHCO₃-P and H₂O-P fractions, as compared to mono inoculations and un-inoculated controls. Inoculated microbial populations increased in numbers contributing to the modification of the soil pH. In soil without TriCalcium Phosphate (TCP), microbial treatments showed a reduced pH compared to the control, with a maximum pH decrease in mono bacterial inoculations. In conclusion, tested bacterial and fungal strains exhibited efficient P solubilization in soil, and thus, have potential to be used as biofertilizers, subject to other necessary trials.     

水磷一体化对磷素有效性与磷肥利用率的影响

水肥一体化是发挥水肥耦合效应提高养分效率的重要途径,然水磷一体化研究较少。本文在模拟滴灌条件下研究了液体磷肥和固体颗粒磷肥(TSP)及其不同施用方法对土壤磷移动性、各形态无机磷含量动态变化的影响,比较了玉米磷素营养与磷肥利用率对不同磷源及其施用方式的响应,旨在提出滴灌条件下磷肥高效利用的最优策略。研究结果表明:1)与TSP肥料分次施用相比,液体磷肥分次施用更能提高土壤磷素有效性,在各土层Ca2-P与树脂磷(resin-P)平均含量分别提高12.4%与21.6%,且可显著提高磷在土壤中的移动性(P0.05),resin-P含量的垂直下降幅度降低56.5%;2)与TSP分次施用相比,液体磷肥分次施用的土壤中高活性无机磷含量(Ca2-P、resin-P及Na HCO3-P之和)占无机磷总量的比例提高21.0%,而低活性无机磷含量(Ca10-P与residue-P之和)占无机磷总量的比例则下降10.1%,说明液体磷肥分次施用可减小磷肥在土壤中的固定转化;3)玉米地上部干物质、叶片吸磷量和植株磷素累积吸收量均对不同磷源与施用方式有明显响应(P0.05),液体磷肥分次处理的玉米生物量、吸磷量及肥料利用率分别比TSP肥料分次处理提高27.1%、34.6%及61.4%。水磷一体化施用可提高磷在土壤中的移动性和有效性,减少磷的固定转化,显著改善玉米磷素营养,并明显提高磷肥利用率。     

磷酸铵在三种典型土壤中的转化及其有效性

研究了磷酸二氢铵(MAP)和磷酸氢二铵(DAP)在3种典型土壤中的转化,并评价了其有效性.结果表明:施用磷酸铵可改变肥际微域土壤的pH值,并且这种效应可持续几个月;MAP在黑土中,反应产物主要为Al-P,占38.8%,其次为Fe-P,占12%;在潮土中,Ca_2-P是主要形态,占34%,其次为Ca_8-P,占28%;在水稻土中,We-P是主要形态,占50%以上,其次为Ca_2-P,占20%.在黑土中We-P在DAP处理中所占的比例较MAP处理中高,而Al-P和Fe-P所占的比例正好与之相反;在最初的10 d里,We-P下降显著,随反应时间延长,DAP和MAP处理间We-P所占的比例差异减小;MAP在水稻土中的有效性最高,其次是潮土和黑土;在黑土中DAP的有效性较MAP要好,MAP主要转化成了Al-P.     

磷素吸附特性演变及其与土壤磷素形态、土壤有机碳含量的关系

在黄土旱塬区长期试验(1985-1997年)中,选取对照(不施肥,CK)、磷肥(P2O5.60.kg/hm2,P)、氮肥(N.120kg／hm2,N)、氮磷(N,120.kg／hm2,P2O5,60.kg/hm2,NP)、氮磷有机肥(N.120.kg/hm2,P2O560.kg/hm2,有机肥75.t／hm2,NPM),种植方式为冬小麦连作的5种有代表性的施肥处理,研究了石灰性土壤磷素吸附特性的演变及其与土壤磷素形态、土壤有机碳(SOC)含量的关系。结果表明,P素的最大吸附量(Qm),1997年对照(CK)、N处理比1985年分别提高了18％和14％;而P、NP和NPM处理分别降低了26％、13％和24％。吸附能常数(k值)随时间延长,对照和N处理相对稳定,P和NP处理呈升高趋势,而NPM处理有降低趋势。土壤磷素吸附饱和度(DPS)和零净吸附磷浓度(EPC0)对照和N处理随时间延长呈降低趋势,P、NP和NPM处理呈升高趋势。Qm与Ca8-P、Al-P存在极显著相关关系(P0.001),与Ca2-P、Pe-P存在显著相关关系(P0.05)。Ca2-P、有机磷含量变化与土壤DPS的相关性达到显著水平(P0.05)。EPC0只与有机磷间存在显著的相关关系(P0.05)。Qm、DPS和EPC0变化与SOC存在显著或极显著的线性相关关系(P0.001)。     

土壤组分对广东省酸性水稻土磷吸附参数的影响

Soil components affecting phosphate sorption parameters were studied using acid paddy soils derived from basalt, granite, sand-shale and the Pearl River Delta sediments, respectively, in Guangdong Province.For each soil, seven 2.50 g subsamples were equilibrated with 50 mL 0.02 mol L-1 (pH=7.0) of KCl containing 0, 5, 10, 15, 25, 50 and 100 ng P kg-1, respectively, in order to derive P sorption parameters (P sorption maximum, P sorption intensity factor and maximum buffer capacity) by Langmuir isotherm equation. It was shown that the main soil components influencing phosphate sorption maximum (Xm) included soil clay, pH,amorphous iron oxide (Feo) and amorphous aluminum oxide (Alo), with their effects in the order of Alo ＞Feo ＞ pH ＞ clay. Among these components, pH had a negative effect, and the others had a positive effect.Organic matter (OM) was the only soil component influencing P sorption intensity factor (K). The main components influencing maximum phosphate buffer capacity (MBC) consisted of soil clay, OM, pH, Feo and Alo, with their effects in the order of Alo ＞ OM ＞ pH ＞ Feo ＞ clay. Path analysis indicated that among the components with positive effects on maximum phosphate buffer capacity (MBC), the effect was in the order of Alo ＞ Feo ＞ Clay, while among the components with negative effects, OM ＞ pH. OM played an important role in mobilizing phosphate in acid paddy soils mainly through decreasing the sorption intensity of phosphate by soil particles.     

Phosphorus Uptake from Green Manures and Phosphate Fertilizers Applied in an Acid Tropical Soil

Abstract

Quantifying the relative contribution of different phosphorus (P) sources to P uptake can lead to greater understanding of the mechanisms that increase available P in integrated P management systems. The ³²P–³³P double isotope labeling technique was used to determine the relative contribution of green manures (GMs) and P fertilizers to P uptake by Setaria grass (Setaria sphacelata) grown in an amended tropical acid soil (Bungor series) in a glasshouse study. The amendments were factorial combinations of GMs (Calopogonium caeruleum, Gliricidia sepium and Imperata cylindrica) and P fertilizers [phosphate rocks (PRs) from North Carolina (NCPR), China (CPR) and Algeria (APR), and triple superphosphate (TSP)]. Dry matter yield, P uptake, and P utilization from the amendments were monitored at 4, 8, and 15 weeks after establishment (WAE). The GMs alone or in combination with P fertilizers contributed less than 5% to total P uptake in this soil, but total P uptake into Setaria plants in the GM treatments was three to four times that of the P fertilizers because the GMs mobilized more soil P. Also, the GMs markedly increased fertilizer P utilization in the combined treatments, from 3% to 39% with CPR, from 6–9% to 19–48% with reactive PRs, and from 6% to 37% with TSP in this soil. Both P_GM and the other decomposition products were probably involved in reducing soil P‐retention capacity. Mobilization of soil P was most likely the result of the action of the other decomposition products. These results demonstrate the high potential of integrating GMs and PRs for managing P in tropical soils and the importance of the soil P mobilization capacity of the organic components. Even the low‐quality Imperata GM enhanced the effectiveness of the reactive APR more than fourfold.     

Effect of one phosphorus rate placed in different soil volumes on p uptake and growth of wheat

Abstract

The volume of soil treated with P fertilizer affects P uptake by the crop. Earlier studies have shown that the stimulation of root growth in P‐fertilized soil was similar for both corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merr). The objective of this research was to determine the effect of fertilizer P placement on P uptake and shoot and root growth of spring wheat (Triticum vulgare L.). Wheat was grown for 34 days in Raub silt loam (Aquic Argiudolls) in a controlled climate chamber. One rate of phosphate per pot, 150 mg P per three kg of soil, was mixed with 2, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 100% of the soil in the pot. The P was equilibrated with moist soil for 5 days at 70°C followed by 21 days at 25° C before transplanting 8‐day‐old wheat plants into each 3 L pot. The P stimulation of root growth in the P‐treated soil was similar to that for corn and soybeans. The effect could be described by the equation y = x^0.7 where y is the fraction of the root system in the P‐fertilized soil where P is mixed with x fraction of the soil. The greatest P uptake and plant growth occurred when added P was mixed with 20% of the soil.     

Flow and deformation behavior at the microscale of soils from several long‐term potassium fertilization trials in Germany

The effect of K fertilization on microstructural soil stability is rarely analyzed until now although the ambiguous impact on bulk soil structure was reported quite often, e.g., with regard to higher erodibility on the one hand and higher water storage on the other. Soil material from different long‐term fertilization trials in Germany was examined rheologically by means of an amplitude sweep test where the samples were subjected to oscillating shearing with increasing deflection. The resulting shear stress was recorded, and the maximum stress denoted the maximum shear strength of the sample. Results showed an ambiguous influence of K which depends strongly on the soil properties. On the one hand, an increased ion concentration in the soil solution leads to increasing attractive forces as defined by the DLVO theory and therefore higher shear resistance. With increasing desiccation, K⁺ like other salts can precipitate at the contact areas between particles and lead to cementation. On the other hand, K⁺ as a monovalent ion impedes covalent and ionic bonding between clay minerals which holds true for most of the examined soil types while only sandy soils showed an increase in soil strength due to K fertilization. Potassium depletion further resulted in increased interaction of fertilization with other impact factors, e.g., climate and soil properties. Thus, the destabilizing effect of K⁺ was more pronounced under liming as without liming. Subsequent modeling with selected soil parameters confirmed the high influence of matric potential. The modeling also revealed the interactions with other soil parameters, e.g., pH, oxides, texture, exchangeable cations as well as lack or surplus of K in relation to recommended K content. In conclusion, microstructural stability of soil depends on several soil parameters and requires the inclusion of many chemical and physical soil properties.     

EFFECTS OF CONVENTIONAL AND CONTROLLED RELEASE PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZER ON CROP EMERGENCE AND GROWTH RESPONSE UNDER CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS

A series of experiments on the effects of form and rate of seed row placed phosphorus (P) fertilizer were carried out under controlled environment conditions using flats of a P-deficient Brown Chernozemic soil from Saskatchewan, Canada. The experiments were conducted in the laboratory and growth chamber using rates of seed row placed granular P fertilizer up to 100 kg P₂O₅ ha^?1. Two forms of monoammonium phosphate fertilizer were compared: 1) conventional MAP granules and 2) controlled release phosphorus (CRP) fertilizer granules (Agrium Inc, Denver, CO, USA.) made with a polymer coating to slow the release of phosphate to soil solution. Six crops were utilized in the study to provide a range of commonly grown cereal, oilseed, pulse and forage crops in Western Canada: wheat (Triticum aestivum), canola (Brassica napus), mustard (Brassica juncea), flax (Linum usitatissimum), yellow pea (Pisum sativum) and alfalfa (Medicago sativum). Parameters measured were percentage of planted seeds that had emerged after two weeks, plant biomass yield, and plant P uptake after four weeks. Most of the crops tested showed no negative impact on emergence with seed row placed conventional P fertilizer at rates up to ～20 to 30 kg P₂O₅ ha^?1. Pea, flax and mustard tended to be most sensitive to injury from high rates of seed placed MAP while wheat was least sensitive. The controlled release phosphorus fertilizer (CRP) product greatly increased the tolerance of crops to high rates of seed row placed P, with rates of 80 kg P₂O₅ ha^?1 placed in the seed row producing no significant injury for most crops. This effect is attributed to the coating reducing the harmful salt effect that occurs when high rates of fertilizer are placed in the seed row in close proximity to the seed. Generally, a rate of 30 kg P₂O₅ ha^?1 was sufficient to produce maximum early season biomass yield and P uptake for both conventional MAP and CRP fertilizers. Large differences in early P availability were not evident between the conventional P and controlled released P fertilizer products.