Differential responses of five species to phosphorus and zinc fertilizers

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Abstract
The influence of a factorial combination of P (0 and 120 ppm) and Zn (0 and 16 ppm) treatments on growth of corn, flax, navy beans, soybeans and wheat was studied under greenhouse conditions. All crops responded to P and all, except wheat, responded to Zn; the P × Zn interactions were significant, except for wheat. Flax and navy beans showed the largest responses to added Zn and also differed from the other species in that added P without Zn decreased yields. Flax and navy beans treated with P without Zn had the largest P concentrations, 0.96 and 0.91%, respectively; the unifoliate leaves of these navy bean plants developed water‐soaked and necrotic zones prematurely and contained 3.3% P. The suppression in growth of navy beans resulting from added P appeared to be at least partly associated with P toxicity. The chief effect of added P without Zn on flax was an increase in main‐stem dieback, the principal symptom of Zn deficiency, from 40 to 100%.