The chemical nature of P accumulation in agricultural soils—implications for fertiliser management and design: an Australian perspective

Many agricultural soils worldwide in their natural state are deficient in phosphorus (P), and the production of healthy agricultural crops has required the regular addition of P fertilisers. In cropping systems, P accumulates almost predominantly in inorganic forms in soil, associated with aluminium, calcium and iron. In pasture soils, P accumulates in both inorganic and organic forms, but the chemical nature of much organic P is still unresolved. The P use efficiency (PUE) of fertilisers is generally low in the year of application, but residual effectiveness is important, highlighting the importance of soil P testing prior to fertiliser use. With increasing costs of P fertiliser, various technologies have been suggested to improve PUE, but few have provided solid field evidence for efficacy. Fluid fertilisers have been demonstrated under field conditions to increase PUE on highly calcareous soils. Slow release P products have been demonstrated to improve PUE in soils where leaching is important. Modification of soil chemistry around the fertiliser granule or fluid injection point also offers promise for increasing PUE, but is less well validated. Better placement of P, even into subsoils, also offers promise to increase PUE in both cropping and pasture systems.