The effect of long-term application of P fertilizer on soil grown forage plants
| dc.contributor.author | Nayyar, A. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hamel, C. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hanson, K. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Selles, F. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Jefferson, P. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Germida, J. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-08-05T05:52:00Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-08-05T05:52:00Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2006-03-01 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Phosphorus (P) fertilization does not always increase crop yields but the repeated use of P may modify the biological properties of soils. The objective of the present study, therefore, was to investigate the effect of long term applications of P fertilizer on soil biological properties. We used an experimental site located in Swift Current in which different amounts of P (0, 20 and 40 kg P2O5 ha-1) were applied annually for the past 8 years on alfalfa and alfalfa-Russian wild rye hay crops. Our hypothesis was that repeated application of P influences soil microbial biomass and various soil enzymes. Microbial biomass C in the 0-7.5 cm soil layer was determined by fumigation-extraction at each of three harvest dates, and dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and urease activities were assayed. Application of P to soil increased soil available P, dissolved organic C and available NO3-N, but did not significantly affect crop yields or soil microbial biomass C. Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of crop roots, and dehydrogenase and urease activities were decreased, suggesting that P reduced soil microbial activity. Acid phosphatase activity remained unchanged with P fertilization, suggesting that P availability was not limiting in these systems. While 8 years of application of P had little effect on hay yields, it generally reduced the activity of the soil microbial biomass. | en_US |
| dc.description.version | Non-Peer Reviewed | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10388/9408 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.relation.ispartof | Soils and Crops Workshop | |
| dc.rights | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada | * |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/ | * |
| dc.subject | phosphorus | en_US |
| dc.subject | dehydrogenase | en_US |
| dc.subject | urease | en_US |
| dc.subject | acid phosphatase | en_US |
| dc.subject | microbial biomass | en_US |
| dc.subject | soil biological activity | en_US |
| dc.title | The effect of long-term application of P fertilizer on soil grown forage plants | en_US |
| dc.type | Presentation | en_US |