Tropical soybean yield response to reduced or zero phosphorus fertilization depends on soils

Abstract

Oxisol soils with high P sorption capacity are widespread in Brazil, which is the world's second largest producer of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. To counter low P availability within highly weathered soils, Brazilian soybean producers commonly fertilize with approximately twice as much P as is harvested in soybean. This has led to the accumulation of P in the soil, especially during the 2000s and 2010s, but the degree to which producers can capitalize on this residual soil P stock to offset fertilizer inputs remains unclear. We tested the effect of residual soil P in a field trial in Mato Grosso, Brazil on a field that has been fertilized for a decade. We grew soybean under three P treatments: 0, 50, and 100% of the farm's standard P fertilization rate for soybean (38 kg P ha −1 yr −1). This experiment was conducted for one growing season on two sites within the same farm field that had different soil texture, Al 2 O 3 + Fe 2 O 3 (R 2 O 3), soil test P, and degree of P saturation. Soybean yield on the soil with greater clay content and R 2 O 3 showed yield declines under reduced P input but yields on sandier soils that had higher soil test P were unaffected by reduced P inputs. These results highlight opportunities to enhance P fertilizer use efficiency in intensive tropical agriculture on highly weathered soils by using site-specific soil fertility management to harness residual soil P.

Advancing toward Personalized and Precise Phosphorus Prescription Models for Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) through Machine Learning

“…Due to the wide range of soil OM levels, ranging from 0.2 to 9.8%, the response to phosphate fertilization was anticipated to vary significantly. In highly weathered soils with exceptionally low OM, soybean growers typically apply approximately twice the amount of phosphate compared to the quantity harvested in soybeans [73]. Conversely, in soils characterized by a high organic matter content, carbon mineralization, and solubilization compete with P at its fixation sites, rendering phosphorus more accessible [74].…”

Prospects and strategies for enhancing Phosphorus efficiency in Soybean production in the Nigerian savannah Regions: A review

“…Accurate estimation of crop nutrient demand, seed nutrient removal, and the availability of nutrients from native soil sources is essential for sustainable fertilization and balanced nutrition. Achieving these objectives requires optimizing nutrient use efficiency (Bomeisl et al, 2020).…”

“…Its availability is regulated by solubility and the propensity to become fixed in the soil through reactions between aluminium and phosphorus, forming insoluble phosphate precipitates. P-fixing soils are common in tropical regions, and highly weathered tropical soils possess a high capacity to adsorb P, consequently reducing the availability of P inputs for crops (Bomeisl et al, 2020).…”

“…As opposed to this, yields in sandier soils containing higher soil test P levels were unaffected by lower P inputs even in severely worn and P-fixing soils, as residual soil P can support crop output. They recommend lowering reliance on phosphate rock fertilisers (Bomeisl et al, 2020).…”

Sistemas de cultivo de milho de longo prazo no Cerrado: dinâmica de P no solo e fluxo de gases de efeito estufa

“…O P é o nutriente que mais limita a produtividade e produção agrícola (BOMEISL et al, 2020) bem como, também, na adoção de atividades agropecuárias em 40 % dos solos do planeta (DU et al, 2020) ou mesmo em até 12% das áreas agrícolas (ROY, ERIC D. et al, 2016). Tal situação é ainda mais relevante em regiões tropicais e subtropicais, onde predominam solos muito intemperizados, naturalmente pobres em P e, em sua maioria, ricos em óxidos de Fe e Al (BAHIA FILHO et al, 1983), minerais que apresentam alta capacidade de adsorção deste nutriente.…”