Inorganic and organic P in soil solutions from three upland soils

Soil solutions from three P-deficient Cambisols were analyzed for inorganic orthophosphate (P_i), organically combined phosphorus (P_o), total phosphorus (P_t) and residual phosphorus (P_r=P_t–(P_o+P_i)). The solutions were obtained by centrifugation of soil samples wetted-up to 90% field capacity. Increasing the centrifugal force from 750 to 1400×g (for 60 minutes) increased the volume of soil solution obtained by 17–35%. Increasing the centrifugation period from 30 to 90 minutes (at 1000×g) increased the volume by 2–12%. The effect of the different centrifugation conditions on the P composition of soil solutions were not critical and had little effect on either P_t concentration or on the distribution of P between P_i, P_o and P_r fractions. Soil solutions were also obtained on a seasonal basis over a 2-year period. The soils, fresh from the field, were wetted-up to 90% field capacity and centrifuged at 1000×g for 60 minutes to isolate the soil solution. Although the soils were derived from contrasting parent rock, and had different Fe and Al sesquioxide contents, the P_t concentrations of the soil solutions and the distribution between the fractions were similar. Annual average P_t concentrations for the 3 soils ranged from 93 to 114 and 63 to 89 g dm^-3 during the first and second year, respectively. Seasonal changes were of a similar order as those resulting from differences in soil type. During May, June, August and October soil solutions had average P_t concentrations ranging from 82 to 111 and 51 to 119 g P dm^-3 in 1989 and 1990, respectively. P_o was a major P component in soil solution and exceeded the amount of P_i by about 5–20 times.     

Recovery of soil phosphorus on former bauxite mines through tropical forest restoration

Soil phosphorus (P) is a major driver of forest development and a critically limited nutrient in tropical soils, especially when topsoil is removed by mining. This nutrient can be present in soils in the form of different fractions, which have direct consequences for P availability to plants and, consequently, for restoration success. Therefore, understanding how the stocks of different soil P fractions change over the restoration process can be essential for guiding restoration interventions, monitoring, and adaptive management. Here, we investigated the recovery of soil P fractions by forest restoration interventions on bauxite mine sites in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We assessed the concentration of different fractions of soil organic and inorganic P at (1) a bauxite mine prepared for restoration; (2) two former bauxite mines undergoing forest restoration for 6 and 24 years; and (3) an old‐growth forest remnant. Overall, restored areas recovered levels of labile organic P (P_o‐NaHCO₃) at 5–40 cm and of moderately labile organic P (P_o‐NaOH) at different depths, exhibiting concentrations similar to those found in a conserved forest. The use of P‐rich fertilizers and forest topsoil may have greatly contributed to this outcome. Some other fractions, however, recovered only after 24 years of restoration. Other inorganic P fractions did not differ among mined, restored, and conserved sites: nonlabile P_i (residual P and P‐HCl), labile P_i (P_i‐NaHCO₃), and moderately labile P_i (P_i‐NaOH). Forest restoration was able to promote efficient recovery of important soil P fractions, highlighting the value of restoration efforts to mitigate soil degradation by mining.     

Vegetation effects on phosphorus fractions in set-aside soils

As increasing amounts of arable land are being set aside, it is of importance to study the effect of vegetation on soil fertility. The fractionation of soil P under grassland, beech and spruce vegetation was investigated in sites previously fertilized with P by extracting sequentially with Resin, NaHCO₃, NaOH, HCl and finally NaOH after ultrasonic pretreatment. Under beech a large part of extractable P was found in inorganic fractions which are considered to be available for plants (Resin P₁ and Bicarbonate P₁). Under grass, a large part of the extractable P was found in potentially labile organic forms (Bicarbonate P_o and Fulvic acid P_o). After 25 years of permanent grass vegetation, the extractability of soil P was comparable to that from an adjacent arable plot. On spruce covered soils most of the added fertilizer P was rendered unextractable 20–30 years after application. However the available data does not allow a clear interpretation of this phenomena, as effects of soil parent material as well as vegetation may be taken into consideration. No decrease in P-extractability was found between beech and grass covered soils which had been fertilized for more than 200 years, when compared to less rich soils from the same area. On the basis of the current data it may be concluded that the vegetation affects the distribution of soil phosphorus fractions, and thus soil fertility. In the soils under investigation, grassland and beech vegetation conserved the phosphate availability to a high extent.     

Phosphorus Transformations in an Oxisol under contrasting land-use systems: The role of the soil microbial biomass

It is generally assumed that phosphorus (P) availability for plant growth on highly weathered and P-deficient tropical soils may depend more on biologically mediated organic P (P_o) turnover processes than on the release of adsorbed inorganic P (P_i). However, experimental evidence showing the linkages between P_o, microbial activity, P cycling and soil P availability is scarce. To test whether land-use systems with higher soil P_o are characterized by greater soil biological activity and increased P mineralization, we analyzed the partitioning of P among various organic and inorganic P fractions in soils of contrasting agricultural land-use systems and related it to biological soil properties. Isotopic labeling was used to obtain information on the turnover of P held in the microbial biomass. Soil samples were taken from grass–legume pasture (GL), continuous rice (CR) and native savanna (SAV) which served as reference. In agreement with estimated P budgets (+277, +70 and 0 kg P ha^–1 for CR, GL and SAV, respectively), available P estimated using Bray-2 and resin extraction declined in the order CR > GL > SAV. Increases in Bray-2 and resin P_i were greater in CR than GL relative to total soil P increase. Organic P fractions were significantly less affected by P inputs than inorganic fractions, but were a more important sink in GL than CR soils. Extractable microbial P (P_chl) was slightly higher in GL (6.6 mg P kg^–1) than SAV soils (5.4 mg P kg^–1), and significantly lowest in CR (2.6 mg P kg^–1). Two days after labeling the soil with carrier free ³³P, 25, 10 and 2% of the added ³³P were found in P_chl in GL, SAV and CR soils, respectively, suggesting a high and rapid microbial P turnover that was highest in GL soils. Indicators of P mineralization were higher in GL than CR soils, suggesting a greater transformation potential to render P_o available. Legume-based pastures (GL) can be considered as an important land-use option as they stimulate P cycling. However, it remains to be investigated whether crops planted in pasture–crop rotations could benefit from the enhanced P_o cycling in grass–legume soils. Furthermore, there is need to develop and test a direct method to quantify P_o mineralization in these systems.     

Fate and effects of phosphorus additions in soils under N2-fixing red alder

Soil phosphorus (P) dynamics are controlled by the interaction of geochemical, biochemical and biological processes. Changes in species composition or management could alter the relative importance of these processes. We examined soil P dynamics in two plantations of N₂-fixing red alder (Alnus rubra) by determining the fate and effects of added fertilizer P. History of the plantations varied such that sites were previously occupied by 60-yr-old stands of alder or non-fixing Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Without fertilization, the soil with a longer period of alder influence had more organic P (P_o) and less sorbed inorganic P (Hydroxide- and Bicarb-extractable P_i). Fertilization increased soil total P, and 88% of the fertilizer was accounted for in the surface mineral soil (0–15 cm). Sorbed P_i was the major sink for fertilizer P (55–60%), independent of site history. Although P_o was 35–70% of soil P in unfertilized plots, added P did not accumulate as P_o. Neither site history nor P addition influenced phosphatase activity. Fertilization increased decomposition during incubation of the organic horizon, suggesting that late-stage decomposition is P-limited in these N-rich soils. On the time-scale of a few years, geochemical sorption and desorption of inorganic P were the most important processes controlling the distribution of added P. Organic P accumulation is expected to occur over a longer time frame, linked to the production and turnover of organic matter.     

The effects of root-induced pH changes on the depletion of inorganic and organic phosphorus in the rhizosphere

A new method allowing control of rhizosphere pH and mineral nutrition was applied to study depletion of various organic and inorganic phosphorus fractions extractable sequentially with 0.5M KHCO₃ (pH 8.5), 0.1M NaOH and residual P extractable with 6M H₂SO₄ from the rhizosphere soil.Soil pH was affected about 2 mm from the root mat. Depletion zones of inorganic P (KHCO₃-P_i) extractable with 0.5M KHCO₃ extended up to about 4 mm but the depletion zones of all other P fractions were about 1 mm only. The root-induced decrease of soil pH from 6.7 to 5.5 increased the depletion of total P from all fractions by 20% and depletion of KHCO₃-P_i and residual P by 34% and 43%, respectively. Depletion of organic P (KHCO₃-P_o) extractable with 0.5M KHCO₃ was not affected by a change in rhizosphere pH. With constant or increased pH, depletion of inorganic P (NaOH-P_i) was 17% and organic P (NaOH-P_o) was 22% higher than with decreased pH. Only 54–60% of total P withdrawn from all fractions was from KHCO₃-P_i. Substantial amounts of KHCO₃-P_o and NaOH-P_o were mineralized and withdrawn from the rhizosphere within 1 mm from the root mat, as 11–15% of total P withdrawn originated from the organic P fractions. A remaining 11–16% was derived from NaOH-P_i, and 15–18% from residual P fractions likely to be rather immobile. Thus, 40–46% of the P withdrawn near the root mat of rape originated from non-mobile P fractions normally not included in 0.5M NaHCO₃ extraction used to obtain an index of plant-available soil P.     

Changes in soil phosphorus fractions following positive and negative phosphorus balances for long periods

The effect of phosphorus (P) balance (addition, in both fertilizers and farmyard manure (FYM), minus removal in crops) on eight soil P fractions determined by sequential extraction, was measured on archived soils from various long-term experiments run by Rothamsted Experimental Station in the United Kingdom. It has been established unequivocally that, for all the soils investigated, no one of the eight P fractions was increased or decreased during long periods of P addition or depletion, respectively. However, changes were mainly in the resin (24–30%) and the inorganic (P_i) component of the four fractions extracted sequentially by 0.5 M NaHCO₃, 0.1 M NaOH, 1.0 M NaOH, 0.5 M H₂SO₄ (41–60%). For the sandy loam there were also consistent changes in the organic (P_o) fraction (25%), especially that extracted by bicarbonate, presumably because the soil contained only a little clay and presumably had low sorption capacity. When the soils were cropped without P addition the largest proportional change was in the P extracted by resin, 0.5 M NaHCO₃ and 0.1 M NaOH, suggesting that the P in these fractions is readily available, or has the potential to become available, for crop growth. This was supported by changes in the overall P balance. On the heavier textured soils, 50–80% of the change in total soil P (P_T) was in these fractions; on the sandy soil this increased to more than 90%. The change in the sum of the first five fractions accounted, on average, for 90% of the P balance. However these changes in the P in the plough layer frequently left large amounts of P unaccounted for in some of the excessively P enriched soils. The amount of P_i extracted by resin and bicarbonate (P_i(r+b)) ranged between 14 and 50% of the sum of the P_i fractions. Soils with the lower percentages were those known to be most responsive to P fertilizers. P_i(r+b) accounted for an average of 70% of the P balance (negative) in P depleting soils where crop offtake was not offset or exceeded by annual P additions (positive balance). The ratio between P_i(r+b) and P_i(sum) could be a guide in defining soils deficient in P and those which are excessively enriched.     

The biological transformation of P in soil

Summary Organic forms of soil phosphorus (P_o) are an important source of available P for plants following mineralisation. The rates and pathways of P through soil organic matter are, however, poorly understood when compared to physco-chemical aspects of the P cycle. The essential role of soil microorganisms as a labile resercoir of P, confirmed experimentally and in modelling studies, has recently led to the development of methods for measuring thier P content. Incorporation in a new P fractionation scheme of these measurements with estimates of P_i and P_o fractions that vary in the exten toftheir availability to plants has enabled the dynamics of short-term soil P transformations to be investigated in relation to long-term changes observed in the field.Different types of soil P compounds that minearlise at different rates can now be measured directly in extracts by³¹P-nuclear magnetic resonance. Orthophosphate diesters, including phospholipids and nucleic acids, are the most readily mineralised group of these compounds. However, mineralisation rates rather than the amounts of types of P_o in soil ultimately control P availability to plants. These rates are influenced by a number of soil and site factors, as a sensitive new technique using [³²P] RNA has recently shown.These recent developments reflect a more holistic approach to investigation of the soil P cycle than in the past, which should lead to improved fertilizer management practices.Introductory lecture     

Forms and cycling of phosphorus in prairie and boreal forest soils

The distribution of soil P among inorganic and organic forms was examined in prairie and boreal forest soil profiles from Saskatchewan, Canada. A sequential extraction procedure was employed to separate P into labile and stable inorganic (P_i) and organic (P_o) fractions. Profile depth, climate, vegetation, and cultivation all had a major influence on the distribution of P which is attributed to differing intensities of pedogenic processes such as weathering and leaching, and their relationship to P transformations in the soil environment.     

Changes in soil phosphorus fractions following sole cropped and intercropped maize and faba bean grown on calcareous soil

Aims

This study aimed to investigate the effects of coexistence with faba bean, a phosphorus (P)-efficient crop, on soil-accumulated P use by a maize/faba bean intercropping system on dynamic changes in soil P pool.

Methods

Maize and faba bean were grown in P-accumulated soil as either sole cropping or intercropping. After one year (Stage I) or four years (Stage II) of no P application, soil samples were collected respectively and analyzed for soil P pools using sequential fractionation. Aboveground biomass and P content were annually measured from 2013 to 2016 to assess the annual P balance.

Results

The intercropped maize/faba bean system showed a P-uptake advantage, with a Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) ranging from 1.2 to 1.5. The average shoot P content over the four years in intercropped maize and faba bean was significantly greater than that of the corresponding sole crops by 29% and 30%, respectively. Over the three-year P depletion period, the three cropping systems primarily depleted the 1 M HCl-P_i fraction, followed by sole maize, which depleted the NaOH-P_i and concentrated HCl-P_o fractions. Sole faba bean depleted the alkali-soluble P_o fraction (extracted by NaHCO₃ and NaOH), and the intercropped maize/faba bean system depleted the conc. HCl-P_o fraction, which was similar to the effect of sole maize.

Conclusions

Both sole crops and intercrops mainly depleted 1 M HCl-P_i, but differed in P_o depletion. Sole maize and maize/faba bean intercropping depleted the sparingly labile P_o fraction, while sole faba bean depleted the labile and moderately labile P_o fractions.

     

Microbial Biomass and Community Composition Involved in Cycling of Organic Phosphorus in Sediments of Lake Dianchi,Southwest China

Organic phosphorus (P_o) was a major fraction of phosphorus (P) in sediments of lakes, and microbes were involved in most of its relevant biogeochemical cycling. Forms and quantification of P_o were investigated by sequential fractionation in 18 sediments of Lake Dianchi, Southwest China. Microbial biomass and community structure in these sediments were determined by phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs). Distribution of P_o fractions were in the rank order that humic P_o > nucleic acid and polyphosphate > residual P > Ca-Al-P_o > Fe-P_o > sugar P_o > acid soluble P_o > H₂O-P_o. The recoveries of P_o and P_i in these detailed sequential fractions including residual P shows that the total contents of P_o in sediments of lakes were overestimated by the Standards, Measurements and Testing (SMT) protocol (ignition method). Microbial biomass including Gram-positive bacteria (14.4–20.0%), Gram-negative bacteria (32.7–38.4%), microeukaryotes (14.9–24.4%), aerobic bacteria (43.6–55.8%), anaerobic bacteria (0–2.9%) and type ? methanotrophs (17.6–24.4%) were assigned. Microbial mass and their composition were strongly correlated with H₂O-P_o, Fe-P_o, nucleic acid and polyphosphate, and humic P_o, though residual P was likely inert for microbes in sediments. The formation and degradation of P_o was closely related with microbial activities in sediments. These findings have implications for understanding the role of microbes on cycling of P_o and organic matter in sediments of lakes.     

川西亚高山三种森林恢复途径对土壤生物有效磷的影响

土壤生物有效磷在提高森林生产力和生物地球化学循环中起着至关重要的作用,研究不同森林恢复途径对土壤生物有效磷的影响对于退化森林的适应性恢复和可持续经营具有重要意义。选取川西亚高山不同恢复途径下形成的3种森林类型,即粗枝云杉人工林（人工种植,PF）、岷江冷杉-红桦天然次生林（自然更新,NF）和粗枝云杉阔叶混交林（人工种植后自然更新,MF）,采用基于生物有效性的土壤磷分级方法测定土壤生物有效磷（CaCl₂-P、Citrate-P、Enzyme-P和HCl-P）,探究不同森林恢复途径对土壤生物有效磷的影响。结果表明：不同森林恢复途径对土壤生物有效磷影响显著（P<0.05）,NF和MF的土壤Citrate-P和Enzyme-P显著高于PF（P<0.05）,而PF的土壤HCl-P显著高于NF（P<0.05）。自然更新是3种森林恢复途径中最能提高土壤生物有效磷的方式。3种森林恢复途径下的土壤生物有效磷组分与速效磷均呈现显著的正相关关系,且NF的土壤速效磷与生物有效磷的相关性更强（CaCl₂-P除外）。显著影响NF土壤生物有效磷的土壤理化性质有全钾、铵态氮含量和pH值,且全钾对NF的土壤生物有效磷变异的解释程度最高（r²=0.63,P=0.001）。土壤pH值、钙和可溶性有机碳含量是显著影响MF土壤生物有效磷的主要土壤理化性质（P<0.05）。对PF的土壤生物有效磷具有显著影响的土壤理化性质是土壤有机碳、铁和可溶性有机碳含量。土壤理化性质对3种恢复途径下森林土壤生物有效磷的解释率均超过了80%,森林恢复途径对土壤生物有效磷的影响与土壤理化性质有关。     

Temporal variations in some plant and soil P pools in two pasture soils of widely different P fertility status

Temporal variations in plant production, plant P and some soil P (and N) pools were followed over 21 months in two New Zealand pasture soils of widely different P fertility status. Plant growth rates, and herbage composition at the high-fertility site, were closely linked to soil water use, with growth rates falling when soil water deficits exceeded 60 mm. Herbage P concentrations reflected P fertility, and varied with season, being generally higher in winter and lower in summer. A similar temporal pattern was also observed for labile organic P (NaHCO₃-extractable P₀) in both soils. In the low-fertility soil in spring, net mineralization was especially strong, but from early winter net immobilization occurred. Surprisingly, Olsen P also changed temporally in the high-fertility soil. The microbial biomass remained fairly constant throughout the year, whereas the P content of the biomass varied seasonally. Although microbial biomass was not a useful index of soil fertility, highest microbial P₀ contents coincided with periods of maximum labile P₀ mineralization, when herbage production was also at a peak. Net N-mineralization in the low-fertility soil, in contrast to the high-fertility soil, was low but varied seasonally, under standardised incubation conditions. Soil P and N dynamics were apparently synchronised in the low-fertility soil through soil microbial processes, with mineral N being negatively correlated with microbial P₀ in samples collected two months later. The results of this investigation suggest that the demands of rapid and sustained pasture growth in spring and early summer can best be met by maximising the build-up of organic matter during the preceding autumn and winter. This practice could help to alleviate the common problem of feed shortage in North Island hill country pastures in late winter-early spring.     

三峡库区消落带典型植物根际土壤磷形态特征

三峡库区消落带生态系统演变对水库安全具有重要影响,其中植物群落演变与土壤氮磷形态转化及释放等广受关注。然而,消落带植物根际效应与土壤磷形态关系及潜在影响并不清楚。选择三峡库区澎溪河消落带为研究对象,分别在冲积潮土、紫色土和水稻土分布的消落区采集典型草本植物(狗牙根、香附子、苍耳)和农作物(玉米)根际、非根际土壤,分析无机磷和有机磷的形态特征,探讨了消落带典型植物生长对土壤磷形态的根际效应及潜在影响。结果表明,土壤类型对土壤磷含量及磷赋存形态具有显著影响,紫色土磷含量最高,且活性磷含量低于冲积潮土和水稻土,表现出磷库稳定性较高;4种植物根际土壤全磷、有效磷及不同形态无机、有机磷(弱吸附态磷WA-P、潜在活性磷PA-P、铁铝结合态磷Fe/Al-P、钙结合态磷Ca-P、残渣态磷R-P)含量均高于非根际,表现出明显的根际富集效应;不同植物根际土壤全磷和有效磷表现为狗牙根苍耳香附子玉米,但磷形态在不同植物根际富集水平不同:活性较高的WA-P、PA-P含量在玉米和苍耳覆盖区均高于狗牙根和香附子,而较稳定Ca-P_i、R-P_i、Fe/Al-P_o、Ca-P_o含量在狗牙根和香附子覆盖区更高,表明玉米和苍耳生长有利于稳定性磷的活化,提高消落带土壤磷流失风险。不同植物根际对不同形态磷富集率差异明显,且玉米根际对活性磷形态的富集率最高,表明农业活动可能加速土壤稳定性磷的活化。pH、土壤有机质、土壤容重与无机磷的赋存形态关系密切,而有机磷赋存形态受pH影响显著,植物根际有机质积累和有机酸分泌等是影响土壤磷形态变化的主要因素。消落带植物群落演变及恢复对土壤磷形态转化具有重要影响。     

施磷对川西北高寒草地土壤磷形态及有效性的影响

以川西北高寒草地为研究对象,采用随机区组设计,设置0、10、20、30、40、50、60 g/m²的过磷酸钙(P₂O₅,16%)施肥试验,分析土壤不同形态磷含量和有效磷(Olsen-P)含量变化特征,探究施磷对川西北高寒草地土壤磷形态及有效磷的影响。结果表明：(1)随施磷量增加,土壤总磷(TP)含量先增加后趋于平稳而Olsen-P含量减少。高水平(50、60 g/m²)施磷下氢氧化钠有机磷(NaOH-Po)及残留磷(Residual-P)是高寒草地主要的磷素累积形态,其含量显著高于不施磷处理;(2)树脂交换态磷(Resin-Pi)、碳酸氢钠无机磷(NaHCO₃-Pi)、碳酸氢钠有机磷(NaHCO₃-Po)和氢氧化钠无机磷(NaOH-Pi)含量随施磷量增加整体呈先增加后降低趋势,表层土壤30 g/m²磷肥用量下其值均为最高,分别为21.54、22.94、65.86、64.48 mg/kg。酸溶性无机磷(HCl-Pi)随施磷量增加整体呈下...     

Effects of Land-Use Change on Soil Nutrient Dynamics in Amazônia

Over the past several decades, the conversion of native forest to agricultural land uses has accelerated across the Amazon Basin. Despite a growing body of research on nutrient dynamics in Amazonian primary forest and forest-derived land uses, the effects of widespread land-use change on nutrient contents and cycles in soil and vegetation are not well understood. We reviewed over 100 studies conducted in Amazônia over the past 40 years on nutrient dynamics in natural forests and forest-derived land uses (pasture, shifting cultivation, and tree plantations). Our objectives were to compare soil data from land uses across Amazônia and identify any gaps in our present knowledge that might offer direction for future research. Specifically, by analyzing data we tested the following five widely cited hypotheses concerning the effects of land-use change on soil properties compiled from 39 studies in multifactorial ANOVA models; (a) soil pH, effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC), and exchangeable calcium (Ca) concentrations rise and remain elevated following the slash-and-burn conversion of forest to pasture or crop fields; (b) soil contents of total carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and inorganic readily extractable (that is, Bray, Mehlich I, or resin) phosphorus (P_i) decline following forest-to-pasture conversion; (c) soil concentrations of total C, N, and P_i increase in secondary forests with time since abandonment of agricultural activities; (d) soil nutrient conditions under all tree-dominated land-use systems (natural or not) remain the same; and (e) higher efficiencies of nutrient utilization occur where soil nutrient pools are lower. Following the conversion of Amazonian forest to pasture or slash-and-burn agriculture, we found a significant and lasting effect on soil pH, bulk density, and exchangeable Ca concentrations. Unlike the other three land uses studied, concentrations of extractable soil P_i were equally low in both forest and pastures of all age classes, which demonstrates that postburning pulses in soil P_i concentration following a slash-and-burn decrease rapidly after forest-to-pasture conversion, perhaps due to accumulation in organic P fractions. Neither the concentrations nor the contents of total C and N appeared to change greatly on a regionwide basis as a result of forest-to-pasture conversion, but surface soil C:N ratios in 5-year-old pastures were significantly higher than those in older pastures, suggesting changes in the soil concentrations of at least one of these elements with time after pasture creation. Pasture soils did have higher total C and N concentrations than land uses such as annual cropping and secondary forest fallow, indicating that soil C and N maintenance and/or accumulation following forest conversion may be greater in pastures than in these other two land uses. The low concentrations of C and N in shifting cultivation soils appear to persist for many years in secondary forests regenerating from abandoned crop fields, suggesting that the recuperation of soil losses of C and N resulting during no-input annual cropping is slower than previously thought. Soil C, N and P concentrations were strongly related to clay content. Across all land uses, efficiencies of N, P, and Ca use (estimated as the inverse of litterfall N, P, and Ca contents) were not related to the sizes of their soil pools. More work is needed to test and standardize P extraction procedures that more accurately reflect plant availability. Few studies have been conducted to determine the role of organic P fractions and dissolved organic N (DON) in the elemental cycles of both natural and managed systems in this region. In general, we recommend further study of annual and perennial cropping systems, as well as more detailed examination of managed pastures and fallows, and secondary forests originating from various disturbances, since the intensity of previous land use likely determines the degree of soil degradation and the rate of subsequent secondary regrowth.     

Fractions and spatial distributions of agricultural riparian soil phosphorus in a small river basin of Taihu area,China

Soil samples were collected from three different ranks riparian soil profiles in a small river basin of Taihu area in China. The method of modified Hedley phosphorus sequential fraction was employed to characterize soil phosphorus fractions. The results showed that the riparian soil total phosphorus (TP) contents, organic phosphorus (OP) and inorganic phosphorus (IP) of the basin ranged from 234.98 to 542.29, 49.76 to 73.81, 161.17 to 492.54 mg kg^?1, respectively. HCl-P_i, NaOH-P_i and residual P_i were the major part of IP, accounting for 28, 28 and 26% of IP respectively, but NaHCO₃-P_i was accounted for 18% of IP. Overall, the various forms of phosphorus, except for Residual P, had a decreasing trend with soils depth. The vertical distributions of TP and IP had same rank order (Riparian Hejiabang > Riparian wuxidang > Riparian Yincungang), while the opposite trend was observed for OP. Surface soils in Riparian Yincungang had lower SOM (soil organic matters):OP ratios than Riparian Wuxidang and Riparian Hejiabang, reflecting the higher probability of OP mineralization in uncultivated soils. Besides, there was significant correlation between phosphorus fractions and SOM, bulk density and capillary porosity.     

Plantago lanceolata L. and Rumex acetosella L. differ in their utilisation of soil phosphorus fractions

To establish relationships between soil phosphorus (P) fractions and leaf P, a mycorrhizal species (Plantago lanceolata L.) was compared with a typically non-mycorrhizal species (Rumex acetosella L.) in a glasshouse experiment. The plants were grown in 40 soils from non-fertilised, abandoned pastures or abandoned arable fields and leaf P concentration were found to be related to various soil P fractions after six weeks of growth. The differences in the P fractions in soil can account for a large share of the variation in leaf P concentration in both species, but the two species differed in their utilisation of P fractions. Leaf P concentration of R. acetosella was more related to extractable soil P than that of P. lanceolata. Rumex acetosella showed a higher maximum P concentration. The P fractions accounting for the largest share of the variation in leaf P concentration was the Bray 1 extractable and the weak oxalate (1 mM) extractable P, and for P. lanceolata also the Na₂SO₄+NaF extractable P fraction. P extracted with these methods accounted for up to 80% of the variation in P concentration in leaves of R. acetosella and 65% of the variation in leaves of P. lanceolata. More P extractable with weak oxalate, Na₂SO₄+NaF and strong oxalate (50 mM) was released from the soil than was taken up by the plants during the experimental period. The Bray 1 extractable P fraction, however, decreased in both unplanted and planted soils. Phosphatase release was not induced in any of the plants during the experimental period, indicating that they were not mobilising soil organic P. However, some of the methods extracted a large share of the organic P and still explained much of the variation in leaf P concentration. Mycorrhizal colonisation of P. lanceolata was inversely related to the extractable soil P. The consistently fast P uptake of R. acetosella indicates that this species have a high demand for P. The differences in P utilisation between R. acetosella and P. lanceolata could be caused by their different mycorrhizal status.     

Effects of soil freezing disturbance on soil solution nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon chemistry in a northern hardwood ecosystem

Reductions in snow cover undera warmer climate may cause soil freezing eventsto become more common in northern temperateecosystems. In this experiment, snow cover wasmanipulated to simulate the late development ofsnowpack and to induce soil freezing. Thismanipulation was used to examine the effects ofsoil freezing disturbance on soil solutionnitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and carbon (C)chemistry in four experimental stands (twosugar maple and two yellow birch) at theHubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) in theWhite Mountains of New Hampshire. Soilfreezing enhanced soil solution Nconcentrations and transport from the forestfloor. Nitrate (NO₃ ^–) was thedominant N species mobilized in the forestfloor of sugar maple stands after soilfreezing, while ammonium (NH₄ ⁺) anddissolved organic nitrogen (DON) were thedominant forms of N leaching from the forestfloor of treated yellow birch stands. Rates ofN leaching at stands subjected to soil freezingranged from 490 to 4,600 mol ha^–1yr^–1, significant in comparison to wet Ndeposition (530 mol ha^–1 yr^–1) andstream NO₃ ^– export (25 mol ha^–1yr^–1) in this northern forest ecosystem. Soil solution fluxes of P_i from the forestfloor of sugar maple stands after soil freezingranged from 15 to 32 mol ha^–1 yr^–1;this elevated mobilization of P_i coincidedwith heightened NO₃ ^– leaching. Elevated leaching of P_i from the forestfloor was coupled with enhanced retention ofP_i in the mineral soil Bs horizon. Thequantities of P_i mobilized from the forestfloor were significant relative to theavailable P pool (22 mol ha^–1) as well asnet P mineralization rates in the forest floor(180 mol ha^–1 yr^–1). Increased fineroot mortality was likely an important sourceof mobile N and P_i from the forest floor,but other factors (decreased N and P uptake byroots and increased physical disruption of soilaggregates) may also have contributed to theenhanced leaching of nutrients. Microbialmortality did not contribute to the acceleratedN and P leaching after soil freezing. Resultssuggest that soil freezing events may increaserates of N and P loss, with potential effectson soil N and P availability, ecosystemproductivity, as well as surface wateracidification and eutrophication.     

Distribution of Carboxylates and Acid Phosphatase and Depletion of Different Phosphorus Fractions in the Rhizosphere of a Cereal and Three Grain Legumes

This study investigates the distribution of carboxylates and acid phosphatases as well as the depletion of different phosphorus (P) fractions in the rhizosphere of three legume crop species and a cereal, grown in a soil with two different levels of residual P. White lupin (Lupinus albus L.), field pea (Pisum sativum L.), faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were grown in small sand-filled PVC tubes to create a dense root mat against a 38-μm mesh nylon cloth at the bottom, where it was in contact with the soil of interest contained in another tube. The soil had either not been fertilised (P0) or fertilised with 15 (P15) kg P ha⁻¹ in previous years. The mesh size did not allow roots to grow into the soil, but penetration of root hairs and diffusion of nutrients and root exudates was possible, and a rhizosphere was established. At harvest, thin (1 mm) slices of this rhizosphere soil were cut, down to a 10-mm distance from the mesh surface. The rhizosphere of white lupin, particularly in the P0 treatment, contained citrate, mostly in the first 3 mm, with concentrations decreasing with distance from the root. Acid phosphatase activity was enhanced in the rhizosphere of all species, as compared with bulk soil, up to a distance of 4 mm. Phosphatase activity was highest in the rhizosphere of white lupin, followed by faba bean, field pea and wheat. Both citrate concentrations and phosphatase activities were higher in P0 compared with P15. The depletion of both inorganic (P_i) and organic (P_o) phosphorus fractions was greatest at the root surface, and decreased gradually with distance from the root. The soil P fractions that were most depleted as a result of root activity were the bicarbonate-extractable (0.5 M) and sodium hydroxide-extractable (0.1 M) pools, irrespective of plant species. This study suggests that differences among the studied species in use of different P pools and in the width of the rhizosphere are relatively small.