Phosphorus

About: Phosphorus is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 53120 publications have been published within this topic receiving 939731 citations. The topic is also known as: element 15 & P.

Fine-root biomass and soil properties in a semideciduous and a lower montane rain forest in Panama

Abstract: The distribution of root biomass and physical and chemical properties of the soils were studied in a semideciduous and in a lower montane rain forest in Panama. Roots and soil samples were taken by means of soil cores (25 cm deep) and divided into five, 5-cm deep sections. Soils were wet-sieved to retrieve the roots that were classified in four diameter classes: very fine roots (<1 mm), fine roots (1–2 mm), medium roots (2–5 mm) and coarse roots (5–50 mm). Soil samples were analyzed for organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable bases, cation exchange capacity, pH, aluminium and exchangeable acidity. Total root biomass measured with the soil corer (roots <50 mm in diameter) was not different between the forests (9.45 t ha-1), while biomass of very fine roots was larger in the mountains (2.00 t ha-1) than in the lowlands (1.44 t ha-1). The soils in the semideciduous forest were low in available phosphorus, while in the mountains, soils had low pH, high exchangeable aluminium and exchangeable acidity, and low concentration of exchangeable bases. Phosphorus was in high concentration only in the first 5 cm of the soil. In both forests, there was an exponential reduction of root biomass with increasing depth, and most of the variation in the vertical distribution of roots less than 2 mm in diameter was explained by the concentration of nitrogen in the soils. The results of this study support the hypothesis that a large root biomass in montane forests is related to nutrients in low concentration and diluted in organic soils with high CEC and low bulk density, and that fine root biomass in tropical forests in inversely related to calcium availability but not a phosphorus as has been suggested for other forests.

Organic acid production and plant growth promotion as a function of phosphate solubilization by Acinetobacter rhizosphaerae strain BIHB 723 isolated from the cold deserts of the trans-Himalayas.

Abstract: An efficient phosphate-solubilizing plant growth-promoting Acinetobacter rhizosphaerae strain BIHB 723 exhibited significantly higher solubilization of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) than Udaipur rock phosphate (URP), Mussoorie rock phosphate (MRP) and North Carolina rock phosphate (NCRP). Qualitative and quantitative differences were discerned in the gluconic, oxalic, 2-keto gluconic, lactic, malic and formic acids during the solubilization of various inorganic phosphates by the strain. Gluconic acid was the main organic acid produced during phosphate solubilization. Formic acid production was restricted to TCP solubilization and oxalic acid production to the solubilization of MRP, URP and NCRP. A significant increase in plant height, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root length, root dry weight, and root, shoot and soil phosphorus (P) contents was recorded with the inoculated treatments over the uninoculated NP(0)K or NP(TCP)K treatments. Plant growth promotion as a function of phosphate solubilization suggested that the use of bacterial strain would be a beneficial addition to the agriculture practices in TCP-rich soils in reducing the application of phosphatic fertilizers.

Lake and catchment management in Denmark

Abstract: The majority of Danish lakes are highly eutrophic due to high nutrient input from domestic sources and agricultural activities. Reduced nutrient retention, and more rapid removal, in catchments as a result of agricultural drainage of wetlands and lakes and channelisation or culverting of streams also play a role. Attempts have recently been made to reduce nutrient loading on lakes by intervening at the source level and by improving the retention capacity of catchment areas. The former measures include phosphorus stripping and nitrogen removal at sewage works, increased use of phosphate-free detergents, and regulations concerning animal fertiliser storage capacity, fertiliser application practices, fertilisation plans and green cover in winter. In order to improve nutrient retention capacity of catchments, wetlands and lakes have been re-established and channelised streams have been remeandered. In addition, cultivation-free buffer strips have been established alongside natural streams and there has been a switch to manual weed control. These measures have resulted in a 73% reduction of the mean total phosphorus concentration of point-source polluted streams since 1978; in contrast, there has been no significant change in the total nitrogen concentration. Despite the major reduction in stream phosphorus concentrations, lake water quality has often not improved. This may reflect a too high external or internal phosphorus loading or biological resistance. Various physico-chemical restoration measures have been used, including dredging and oxidation of the hypolimnion with nitrate and oxygen. Biological restoration measures have been employed in 17 Danish lakes. The methods include reducing the abundance of cyprinids, stocking with 0+ pike (Esox lucius) to control 0+ cyprinids, and promoting macrophyte recolonization by protecting germinal submerged macrophyte beds against grazing waterfowl and transplanting out macrophyte shoots. In several lakes, marked and long-lasting improvements have been obtained. The findings to date indicate that fish manipulation has a long-term effect in shallow lakes, providing nutrient loading is reduced to a level so low as to ensure an equilibrium lake water phosphorus concentration of less than 0.05–0.1 mg phosphorus 1−1. If nitrogen loading is very low, however, positive results may be obtained at higher phosphorus concentrations. Macrophyte refuges and transplantation seem to be the most successful as restoration measures in the same nutrient-phosphorus regime as fish manipulation.