Phosphorus Adsorption and Bioavailability in a Paddy Soil Amended with Pig Manure Compost and Decaying Rice Straw

Abstract

Phosphorus (P) availability in soil is closely related not only to soil P content but also to soil physicochemical and biological properties, which are closely associated with P sorption and biochemical transformation. The aims of this study were to determine the effects of pig manure compost (PMC) or decaying rice straw (DRS) added to a paddy soil on soil pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), acid phosphatase, microbial biomass P, soil test P (Olsen P), and P uptake by rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. ‘Liaoyan’). Phosphorus adsorption characterization affected by PMC‐ or DRS‐derived DOC was also studied. Compared with the control, both PMC and DRS treatments increased soil pH, SOM, DOC, microbial biomass P, and Olsen P, and the activity of acid phosphatase during the 110‐day incubation period. Phosphorus adsorption in soil decreased with DOC extracted from PMC and DRS and was well fit by the Langmuir equation. The Olsen P in the PMC‐ and DRS‐treated soil was correlated with both DOC content and acid phosphatase activity. Both PMC and DRS treatments significantly increased dry‐matter yield and P uptake in rice shoot. In conclusion, the increased P availability in the paddy soil was not only a result of direct P supplied following organic manure incorporation, but also an indirect result of reduction in P sorption on the solid phase of the paddy soil by DOCs which were derived from DRS or PMC.