Role of Phosphorus Type and Biodegradable Polymer on Phosphorus Fate and Efficacy in a Plant–Soil System

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2023-11, Vol.71 (44), p.16493-16503
• Main Authors: Sigmon, Leslie R., Vaidya, Shital R., Thrasher, Corey, Mahad, Sumaya, Dimkpa, Christian O., Elmer, Wade, White, Jason C., Fairbrother, D. Howard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c04735

Phosphorus (P) is critical for crop production but has a high nutrient use inefficiency. Tomato was grown in soil amended with five P-sources, used as-is, or embedded within a biodegradable polymer, polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). Correlation analysis identified treatments that maintain plant growth, improve bioavailable soil P, and reduce P loss. Three performance classes were identified: (i) micro- and nanohydroxyapatite, which did not increase bioavailable P, plant P-uptake, or change P in runoff/leaching compared to controls; (ii) monocalcium phosphate (MCP), dicalcium phosphate (DCP), calcium pyrophosphate nanoparticles (CAP), and PHA-MCP that increased P-uptake and/or bioavailable P but also increased P loss in runoff/leaching; and (iii) PHA-DCP and PHA-CAP, where increased bioavailable P and plant P-uptake were achieved with minimal P loss in runoff/leaching. In addition to identifying treatments that maintain plant growth, increase bioavailable P, and minimize nutrient loss, correlation plots also revealed that (i) bioavailable P was a good indicator of plant P-uptake; (ii) leached P could be predicted from water solubility; and (iii) P loss through runoff versus leaching showed similar trends. This study highlights that biopolymers can promote plant P-uptake and improve bioavailable soil P, with implications for mitigating the negative environmental impacts of P loss from agricultural systems.