Determining the Optimum Level of Soil Olsen Phosphorus and Phosphorus Fertilizer Application for High Phosphorus-Use Efficiency in Zea mays L. in Black Soil

Khalid Ibrahim,Le Wang,Shuxiang Zhang,Weiwei Zhang,Qiong Wang,Chang Peng

doi:10.3390/su13115983

Abstract

Phosphorus is an essential macronutrient, both as a component of several important plant structural compounds and as a catalyst in the conversion of numerous important biochemical reactions in plants. The soil Olsen P (OP) level is an important factor affecting crop production and P-use efficiency (PUE). We tested the effect of six OP levels and P doses on maize yield, where the P doses were 0, 22, 44, 59, 73, and 117 kg P2O5 ha−1, with three replications, from 2017 to 2019. The response of crop yield to the OP level can be divided into two parts, below 28 mg kg−1 and above 28 mg kg−1. The change point between the two parts was determined as the agronomic critical level for maize crops in the study area. The PUE (%) increased with soil OP levels and decreased with P fertilizer application rates. In addition, results for the low P application rate (P2), 22 kg P2O5 ha−1, showed that PUE significantly increased with an increase in the soil OP level compared with PUE at a low OP level (OP1), 0 kg P2O5 ha−1. The PUE value increased by 49.5%, 40.1%, and 32.4% at a high OP level (OP6) in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively, compared to that at a low OP level (OP1). At the same OP levels, in all three years, the PUE at a high P application rate (P6) decreased significantly, in the range of 62.8% to 78.7%, compared to that at a low P application rate (P2). Under an average deficit of 100 kg ha−1 P, the OP level of the soil in all three years decreased by 3.9 mg kg−1 in the treatment without P addition (P1) and increased by 2.4–3.5 mg kg−1 in the P treatments for each 100 kg ha−1 P surplus. A phosphorus application rate of 44 kg P2O5 ha−1 and an OP level of 28 mg kg−1 are sufficient to obtain an optimum yield, increase the PUE, and reduce environmental hazards in the study area in northeastern China.

Highlights

Phosphorus (P) is one of the three essential macronutrients (with nitrogen (N) and potassium (K)) for plant growth and development, and accounts for about 0.2% of the dry weight of the plant [1,2]
The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between P-use efficiency (PUE) and Olsen P (OP), so as to manage P fertilization, optimize the OP level and increase PUE in the maize cropping system, and reduce P leaching, which is a major source of pollution
The P fertilizer treatments and six OP levels had a significant effect on the grain yield of maize

Summary

Introduction

Phosphorus (P) is one of the three essential macronutrients (with nitrogen (N) and potassium (K)) for plant growth and development, and accounts for about 0.2% of the dry weight of the plant [1,2]. Phosphorus is generally considered the main driving force of water eutrophication [3]. Maintaining optimal OP with optimum P application is highly important to reduce water pollution, in hilly areas [4]. Better management of P fertilizer in cropping systems can be achieved by maintaining an optimal balance of input and output of P [5,6]. In China, P fertilizer use increased 91-fold from 1960 to 2008 [7,8], and total grain production increased from 110 million Mg to 483 million Mg, or 3.4-fold, during the same period [9]. Aulakh et al [10] showed that 26 kg P ha−1 is sufficient in a wheat and soybean cropping system that yields 6.55 t ha−1 grain yield. A study of a maize and wheat cropping system grown on Aridisol soil reported that the critical P rate

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