Characterization of organic and inorganic phosphorus in the highland plateau soils of Ethiopia

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Abstract
Surface horizon samples from two Vertisols, an Andisol, and an Alfisol were collected from farmers’ fields, research station farms, and from uncultivated/ nonfertilized areas to characterize the organic and inorganic forms of phosphorus (P) in the highland plateau soils of Ethiopia using the Hedley soil P fractionation scheme. The total P values ranged from 226 mg‐kg‐1 in the Akaki Vertisol samples developed on alluvial deposits to 1570 mgkg‐1 in the Andisol samples, where the HCl fraction dominates the inorganic soil P pool. The Alfisol samples contained 400 mg‐kg‐1 of total P, with the NaOHand residual P being the dominant P fractions. The resin inorganic phosphorus (Pi) and bicarbonate Pi fractions generally accounted for less than 15% of the total P in all soils, and were positively correlated with organic C. The NaOH P fraction, which was most prominent in the surface horizon samples of the Alfisols, accounted for 4–15% of total P. The HCl P fraction, ranged from 1% in the Alfisols to 46% in the Andisols, and positively correlated with pH. All of the P fractions were negatively correlated with clay and extractable Al contents. The organic P (Po) fractions were positively related to organic carbon (C) and dithionate extractable iron (Fe). All samples collected from farmers’ fields showed a loss of P from the residual, and HCl fractions as compared to the uncultivated/nonfertilized samples. There is also a decrease in the labile P (resin Pi, bicarbonate Pi, and Po) fractions, except for the Akaki Vertisol samples. However, under research station management, the amount of labile P fractions either increased or remained at the same level as the uncultivated/nonfertilized samples, except for the Andisol. Addition of P fertilizer at the recommended rates to the Debre Zeit research station Vertisol appears to have resulted in a slight increase in the labile P and prevented loss of P from the HClP and residual P fractions.