Abstract
Available phosphorus (AP) is a key macropollutant predictor of ecosystem services as well as a crucial indicator of soil productivity. Long-term applications of this macronutrient and its implications on sustainability in the face of peak phosphorus harvest have raised some concerns in recent years. This study aimed to characterise the edaphic AP in nearly 15,000 ha of the Mediterranean basin, an agricultural study area whose intensification is increasing with time. Four typical Mediterranean reference soil groups (RSG)—Calcisols, Luvisols, Fluvisols and Cambisols—were analysed and compared for their AP in two different agricultural settings—rain-fed and irrigation—from 2002 to 2012, where 1417 and 1451 topsoil samples were taken, respectively. AP increased from 2002 to 2012 in the irrigated Luvisols (p < = 0.05), Fluvisols (p < = 0.01) and Cambisols (p < = 0.05), while irrigated Calcisols maintained its concentrations (p > 0.05) over time. For rain-fed soils, the AP did not reveal significant differences in time for all RSG (p > 0.05). Additionally, irrigated Fluvisols and Cambisols presented 9% (p < = 0.01) and 68% (p < = 0.01) higher AP concentrations, respectively, than the corresponding rain-fed RSGs in 2012. We provide predictive maps for both 2002 and 2012. These results suggest that this area is departing from the sustainable goals of ecosystem services equilibrium; proper management practices that counteract the anthropogenic pressures in the area should be adopted.
Highlights
An increasing demand for resources in the finite planet Earth has promoted interest in the assessment and sustainable use of edaphic resources in agricultural settings
These results suggest that this area is departing from the sustainable goals of ecosystem services equilibrium; proper management practices that counteract the anthropogenic pressures in the area should be adopted
Monteiro and Torent [12] state that the edaphic availability of P is fundamentally controlled by the equilibrium established between the phosphate concentration in the soil solid phase and its concentration in the soil solution (SS) and that European soils are saturated for P sorption due precisely to these high P concentrations in the SS
Summary
An increasing demand for resources in the finite planet Earth has promoted interest in the assessment and sustainable use of edaphic resources in agricultural settings. Monteiro and Torent [12] state that the edaphic availability of P is fundamentally controlled by the equilibrium established between the phosphate concentration in the soil solid phase and its concentration in the soil solution (SS) and that European soils are saturated for P sorption due precisely to these high P concentrations in the SS These concentrations are caused by anthropic P inputs being far superior to their outputs over time creating a positive balance where P levels in the soil are higher than those required by the crops, and contributing to the elevated and continuous diffuse pollution caused by N and P runoff and drainage
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
