Determining the Optimum Level of Soil Olsen Phosphorus and Phosphorus Fertilizer Application for High Phosphorus-Use Efficiency in Zea mays L. in Black Soil

Khalid Ibrahim, Qiong Wang, Le Wang, Weiwei Zhang, Chang Peng and Shuxiang Zhang
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Khalid Ibrahim: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Beijing 100081, China
Qiong Wang: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Beijing 100081, China
Le Wang: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Beijing 100081, China
Weiwei Zhang: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Beijing 100081, China
Chang Peng: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Northeast Agricultural Research Center of China), Changchun 130033, China
Shuxiang Zhang: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Beijing 100081, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-15

Abstract: Phosphorus is an essential macronutrient, both as a component of several important plant structural compounds and as a catalyst in the conversion of numerous important biochemical reactions in plants. The soil Olsen P (OP) level is an important factor affecting crop production and P-use efficiency (PUE). We tested the effect of six OP levels and P doses on maize yield, where the P doses were 0, 22, 44, 59, 73, and 117 kg P 2 O 5 ha −1 , with three replications, from 2017 to 2019. The response of crop yield to the OP level can be divided into two parts, below 28 mg kg −1 and above 28 mg kg −1 . The change point between the two parts was determined as the agronomic critical level for maize crops in the study area. The PUE (%) increased with soil OP levels and decreased with P fertilizer application rates. In addition, results for the low P application rate (P2), 22 kg P 2 O 5 ha −1 , showed that PUE significantly increased with an increase in the soil OP level compared with PUE at a low OP level (OP1), 0 kg P 2 O 5 ha −1 . The PUE value increased by 49.5%, 40.1%, and 32.4% at a high OP level (OP6) in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively, compared to that at a low OP level (OP1). At the same OP levels, in all three years, the PUE at a high P application rate (P6) decreased significantly, in the range of 62.8% to 78.7%, compared to that at a low P application rate (P2). Under an average deficit of 100 kg ha −1 P, the OP level of the soil in all three years decreased by 3.9 mg kg −1 in the treatment without P addition (P1) and increased by 2.4–3.5 mg kg −1 in the P treatments for each 100 kg ha −1 P surplus. A phosphorus application rate of 44 kg P 2 O 5 ha −1 and an OP level of 28 mg kg −1 are sufficient to obtain an optimum yield, increase the PUE, and reduce environmental hazards in the study area in northeastern China.

Keywords: phosphorus; relative yield; phosphorus-use efficiency; Zea mays L. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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