Abstract

An appropriate tillage method must be implemented by maize growers to improve phosphorus dynamics in the soil in order to increase phosphorus uptake by plant. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of tillage systems on phosphorus and its fractions in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils under maize. An experimental field was established, with phosphate fertilizers applied to four treatment plots: continuous rotary tillage (CR), continuous no-tillage (CN), plowing-rotary tillage (PR), and plowing-no tillage (PN). Under the different tillage methods, the available P was increased in the non-rhizosphere region. However, the concentration of available P was reduced in the rhizosphere soil region. The soil available P decreased with the age of the crop until the maize reached physiological maturity. The non-rhizosphere region had 132.9%, 82.5%, 259.8%, and 148.4% more available P than the rhizosphere region under the CR, PR, CN, and PN treatments, respectively. The continuous no-tillage method (CN) improved the uptake of soil phosphate by maize. The concentrations of Ca2-P, Ca8-P, Fe-P, Al-P and O-P at the maturity stage were significantly lower than other seedling stages. However, there was no significant relationship between total P and the P fractions. Therefore, a continuous no-tillage method (CN) can be used by farmers to improve phosphorus availability for spring maize. Soil management practices minimizing soil disturbance can be used to impove phosphorus availability for maize roots, increase alkaline phosphatase activity in the rhizosphere soil and increase the abundance of different phosphorus fractions.

Highlights

  • Maize (Zea mays), known as corn, is an important cereal crop grown under varied climatic conditions

  • The available P significantly decreased with the age of the maize., which indicated that much more nutrients were taken by plant roots with maize growing

  • Compared to the rhizosphere soil, the non-rhizosphere soil had 132.9%, 82.5%, 259.8%, and 148.4% more available P in the continuous rotary tillage (CR), plowing-rotary tillage (PR), continuous no-tillage (CN) and plowing-no tillage (PN) treatments, respectively, at the maturity stage

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Summary

Introduction

Maize (Zea mays), known as corn, is an important cereal crop grown under varied climatic conditions. Maize can be processed into human food, animal feed, and industrial products It is a high-production crop of national importance. Numerous studies have focused on the changes in the phosphorus fractions associated with soil chemical properties under different types of fertilizers[30]. There is little concentration about which tillage method is suitable for maintaining a supply of available P for maize, thereby decreasing the fertilizer application and improving the environment. We hypothesized that tillage systems have an effect on phosphorus and its forms in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of different tillage systems on the distribution of phosphorus and its different forms in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil under maize (Zea mays L.) in northeastern China

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