The Effect of Subsurface Placement of Mineral Fertilizer on Some Soil Properties under Reduced Tillage Soybean Cultivation

Abstract

One of the adverse effects of no-tillage is the accumulation of nutrients (in particular P and K) in the top soil layer. The subsurface application of mineral fertilizers at a depth of 10–30 cm can reduce this phenomenon and at the same time provide a relatively uniform access to soil nutrients for plant roots. Such a method of mineral fertilizer application can additionally decrease the environmental risk associated with water eutrophication because the water runoff from fields, where the soil P content is high, is reduced. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of the subsurface application of different rates of a compound mineral fertilizer on the content of some macronutrients, soil organic carbon content (SOC), and soil pH in a field after the harvest of soybean grown under reduced tillage conditions. The field experiment was conducted during the growing seasons of 2014/2015–2016/2017 in the village of Rogów, Zamość County, Poland. It was set up as a split-plot design in four replicates. The first experimental factor included two methods of mineral fertilization application: fertilizer broadcast over the soil surface (S); fertilizer applied deep (subsurface placed) using a specially designed cultivator (Sub-S). The other factor was the rates of the mineral fertilizer (NPKS): 85 kg∙ha−1 (F85) and 170 kg∙ha−1 (F170). Over the successive years of the study, the SOC content was found to increase. However, neither the fertilization rate nor the method of fertilizer application caused any significant difference in organic carbon. Under subsurface fertilizer application conditions, a higher soil pH was found in treatment F85, however, when the fertilizer was surface-applied, the soil in treatment F170 had a higher pH value. During the three-year study period, the P and K content in the 0–30 cm soil layer was higher than in the 30–60 cm and 60–90 cm layers. In turn, the highest Mg content was determined in the 30–60 cm layer. In the case of both mineral fertilizer application methods, a higher P content was determined in the soil fertilized at a rate of 170 kg NPKS, compared with a rate of 85 kg∙ha−1. The surface application of the higher rate of mineral fertilization resulted in an increase in the soil K content. On the other hand, when the mineral fertilizer was subsurface-applied, a higher soil K was determined in the treatments with lower mineral fertilization.

Macronutrient Status and Soil Chemical Properties as Influenced by Methods and Schedule of Fertilization in Karnal Alfisols under Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) Cultivation

“…Moreover, K uptake might be higher in band placement leading to more exhaustion of nutrient applied in the vicinity of plant roots. Similar observations were annotated by Kraska et al [32].…”

“…When effect of the broadcasting and band placement were compared it was seen that soil P 2 O 5 content recorded was significantly higher in broadcasting (B1) than the band placement (B2) which might be due to fixation and retention of unutilized P as a result of higher soil to fertilizer contact [33]. An increment in available P values was noticed in all the treatments at harvesting which might be associated with the application of mineral fertilizers at the time of sowing [32]. Neither method of fertilizer application nor the number of applied splits had any significant influence on the organic content of the soil.…”

“…However a slight decrease in soil pH values was observed in all the treatments at harvesting relative to initial values which might be the release of root exudates and accumulation of other decomposition products which are acidic in nature. Moreover application of urea also had an acidic residual effect in the soil causing a fall in pH values [29,32].…”

Influence of Phosphogypsum on The Performance of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) and Properties of Sodic Soil of Alage, Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

“…A similar report presented by Ali et al (2014) and Asseffa et al(2021) whereby increasing level of P fertilizer increased the uptake and concentration of P in straw and grain. The highest values of P concentration and uptake were recorded from banding than Ra ullah et al, 2020;Kraska et al, 2021). However, during plot preparation for second seeding the accumulated PG in the banded plots was distributed over the entire plots, although minimum tillage was practiced.…”

“…Broadcast application of PG in the soil is exposed to a large volume of soil and results in high P xation(Havlin et al 2017). Banded application of PG saturates a small volume of soil and decreases the contact of soil particles with PG contributing to increasing soil available P and SO 4 − 2(Havlin et al 2017;Kraska et al 2021).At the second harvest, soil available P was decreased compared to the rst harvest. Although the land preparation was done by digging after the rst harvest, the parctice might have mixed the P-PG with a large volume of soil, and consequently increased P xation(Havlin et al 2017).…”