Abstract
The agronomic effectiveness of P fertilizers, as sources of phosphorus for crops, was evaluated using the quantities, Pf, of phosphorus taken up byLolium perenne grown on 14 soils during greenhouse experiments in pot cultures. The Pf quantities were determined using32P-labelled fertilizers. Data were analysed using a new concept: the Isotopic Relative Agronomic Effectiveness (IRAE). The IRAE value was defined as the ratio of the Pf quantity, taken up by a crop, of a tested fertilizer over the Pf quantity, taken up by a crop, of a fertilizer used as standard. In our experiments diammonium phosphate (DAP) was used as standard P fertilizer and two rock phosphates, the North Carolina rock phosphate (NCPR) and a calcium-iron-aluminium phosphate (Phospal), were tested. As a linear relationship between Pf(NCPR) quantities and Pf(DAP) quantities was obtained, with r2 = 0.95, when the application rates increased from 15 mgP (kg soil)−1 to 200 mgP (kg soil)−1, it is conciuded that IRAE values for a given fertilizer, other than the standard fertilizer, could be determined with a single rate of application. As regards soil pH in the range 4.7 to 8.2 the IRAENCPR is related to soil pH by a curvilinear relationship: log IRAENCPR = −(0.44) pH + 4.05 with r2 = 0.89. The average of IRAEphospal values was 0.15 with a standard error = 7% irrespective of soil pH. Then a logarithmic relationship was obtained between IRAE values of the two tested fertilizers and their water P-solubility determined at the soil pH where they were applied.
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