Excessive application of pig manure increases the risk of P loss in calcic cinnamon soil in China

Abstract

Soil phosphorus (P) is a critical factor affecting crop yields and water environmental quality. To investigate the degree of loss risk and forms of soil P in calcic cinnamon soil, the P fraction activities in soils were analysed using chemical methods, combined with an in situ field experiment. Seven treatments were set in this study, including control (unfertilized), no P fertilizer (No-P), mineral P fertilizer (Min-P), low (L-Man) and high (H-Man) quantities of pig manure, Min-P+L-Man, and Min-P+H-Man. The results showed that manure fertilizer could not only significantly increase maize yield but could also enhance the accumulation of soil P in organic and inorganic forms. After 23years of repeated fertilization, the soil Olsen-P contents respectively showed 64.7-, 43.7- and 31.9-fold increases in the Min-P+H-Man, Min-P+L-Man and H-Man treatments, while the soil Olsen-P in Min-P treatment only increased 23.7-fold. The soil Olsen-P thresholds ranged from 22.59 to 32.48mgkg−1 in calcic cinnamon soil to maintain a higher maize yield as well as a lower risk of P loss. Therefore, long-term excessive manure application could obviously raise the content of soil Olsen-P and increase the risk of P loss in calcic cinnamon soil.