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Importance of Phosphate Buffer Power for Phosphate Uptake by Rye¹

ABSTRACT

As soil test data for available P are often unsatisfactory, it was investigated whether the integration of the P buffer power of soils would improve the information from soil tests. The P buffer power of eight soils differing widely in their characteristics was assessed by plotting the calcium-lactate exchangeable P (P quantity) vs. the electro-ultrafiltration extractable P (P intensity). After dressing these soils with increasing amounts of soluble phosphate, they were analyzed for available P after an incubation period of 1 week by extracting P using electro-ultrafiltration (EUF-P) and calcium-lactate (CAL-P). The P concentration in the tops and the P uptake of young rye (Secale cereale L.) plants grown on these soils in pots supplied with five increasing P rates were correlated with the EUF-P and CAL-P soil test data. Significant and highly significant correlations between soil test and the P uptake and soil test and P concentration in rye seedlings, respectively, were obtained. These correlations were further much improved when the P buffer power of soils was integrated into the computation in the form of a multiple regression analysis. The R² thus obtained was about 0.8, showing that about 80% of the variance in P uptake and P concentration in plant tops can be related to the variance in the P soil test data (CAL or EUF technique) and to the variance of the P buffer power of soils. It is concluded that soil tests for available soil P can be substantially improved by taking into consideration the P buffer power of soils.

¹ Contribution of the Justus Liebig-University Giessen, Inst. of Plant Nutrition, Südanlage 6, 6300 Giessen, West Germany.

² Alexander von Humboldt Fellow and Professor and Director, respectively. The senior author is now Professor, Inst. of Agric. Science, The University Centre, Dschang, The United Republic of Cameroon. Reprint requests may be sent to Dr. Mengel.

Received for publication March 3, 1983. Accepted for publication August 31, 1983.