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Pathways of Phosphorus Transformations in Soils of Differing Pedogenesis¹

ABSTRACT

Nine different organic and inorganic soil phosphorus fractions were obtained by a sequential extraction of samples from 168 USDA-SCS benchmark soils, representing eight soil orders of the Soil Taxonomy. The distribution of P across the different fractions (resin, bicarbonate, hydroxide, sonification-2nd hydroxide, acid, and acid-peroxide digest fractions with separate organic and inorganic P determinations) and their relationships to other soil chemical properties were used to evaluate the effects of different soil development on phosphorus composition. Correlation and regression analyses of P distribution and chemical analyses confirmed the partial dependence of organic matter accumulation on available forms of P. Weathering indicators such as base saturation were related to the formation of secondary P forms. The relative proportions of available and stable as well as organic and inorganic P forms were dependent upon soil chemical properties and related to soil taxonomy. Path analysis of relationships between labile and stable P forms showed that in Mollisols much of the labile resin extractable P was derived from inorganic bicarbonate and hydroxide extractable P forms. In more weathered Ultisols, 80% of the variability in labile P was accounted for by organic P forms, suggesting that mineralization of organic P may be a major determinant of P fertility in these soils.

¹ Journal Paper no. R361 of the Saskatchewan Inst. of Pedology, Univ. of Saskatchewan. Research supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada and by the National Science Foundation, Washington, DC.

² Post-Doctoral Fellow and Professor of Soil Science, Univ. of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 0W0.

³ Research Soil Scientist, Natural Resource Ecology Lab., USDA-ARS, Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO 80523.

Received for publication November 25, 1983. Accepted for publication March 1, 1984.