Effects of straw retention and phosphorous fertilizer application on available phosphorus content in the soil solution during rice growth

• DOI: 10.1007/s10333-015-0478-y
• Publication Date: 2015-01-20T08:55:04Z
• Authors: Chao Yan; Houqiang Zhan; Shuangshuang Yan; Shoukun Dong; Chunmei Ma; Qiulai Song; Zhenping Gong; Marcel Barbie
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences; 6. Clean water

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for proper rice growth, and available P in the soil solution is a direct source of P for rice uptake. In this study, a field experiment (experiment A: straw retention (SRT) treatment versus straw removal (SRM) treatment) exposed to 3 years of continuous SRT and a pot experiment (experiment B: five P levels; SRT and SRM treatments) with different concentrations of applied P fertilizer were conducted to study the effects of SRT and P fertilizer application on the available P concentration in the soil solution during rice growth and on rice yield. SRT decreased the available P concentration in the soil solution, although it did not alter the trend of available P concentration in the soil solution during plant growth. In addition, in the 10–20-day period after transplantation, the available P concentration in the soil solution was high, although it decreased thereafter. The available P concentration in the soil solution increased with the amount of applied P fertilizer, and the rice yield also increased with increasing applications of P fertilizer. The results of experiments A and B showed that SRT had no significant impact on the rice yield; however, continuous observations over a number of years are required to verify the results.