Comparison of agri-environmental phosphorus tests for boreal agricultural and natural Podzols

Over a dozen soil phosphorus (P) extraction procedures have been designed for agri-environmental purposes (P-tests). Sustainable expansion of agriculture into boreal regions dominated by Podzols requires further insights into P extractability. We extracted P from Podzol samples (n = 96) using nine P...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Soil Science
Main Authors: Amana Jemal Kedir, David Bruce McKenzie, Noura Ziadi, Adrian Unc
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2022
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2022-0037
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Summary:Over a dozen soil phosphorus (P) extraction procedures have been designed for agri-environmental purposes (P-tests). Sustainable expansion of agriculture into boreal regions dominated by Podzols requires further insights into P extractability. We extracted P from Podzol samples (n = 96) using nine P-tests followed by both colorimetric (PCol) and inductively coupled plasma (PICP) quantifications and assessed the relationships between P-tests. Samples were collected by depth or horizon from agricultural fields and reference sites in eastern, central, and western Newfoundland, Canada. The soil P was extracted with water, citric acid, ammonium bicarbonate diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (AB-DTPA), Morgan, Olsen, Bray-1, Bray-2, Mehlich-1, and Mehlich-3 solutions, thus targeting a wide range of extractable P pools in managed and natural Podzols. The soils had a pH of 3.4–6.9, organic matter of 0.5%–47.2%, and Al-M3 of 977–2561 mg kg−1. On average, water extracted the lowest PCol (1.0) and PICP (5.7) mg kg−1, while citric acid extracted the highest PCol (151) and PICP (290) mg kg−1. For the managed podzolic soils, the extractability of P followed the sequence water 0.50) but variable with quantification techniques and soil depths. Given the diversity in extractable P pools across management-induced soil conditions, it is evident that a fully informed P management for the Newfoundland Podzols will require calibration of P-tests against crop P uptake.