COMMUNICATIONS IN SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT ANALYSIS Vol. 35, Nos. 11 & 12, pp.

16351644, 2004

Effects of Long-Term Compost and Fertilizer Application on Soil Phosphorus Status Under Paddy Cropping System
Myungsu Park,1 Olayvanh Singvilay,1 Wansik Shin,1 Eunhee Kim,1 Jongbae Chung,2 and Tongmin Sa1,*
1 Department of Agricultural Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea 2 Department of Agricultural Chemistry, College of Natural Resources, Taegu University, Kyongsan, Korea

ABSTRACT
External phosphorus (P) fertilization in intensive cropping systems often exceeds P demand by crops, which leads to P accumulation in soils. Levels of different pools of soil P have been affected not only by soil properties and climatic condition but also by rate and type of P applied. This experiment was conducted to investigate the long-term applications of compost and chemical fertilizer on soil phosphorus status in paddy cropping system after addition of

*Correspondence: Tongmin Sa, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 361-763, Korea; E-mail: tomsa@chungbuk.ac.kr. 1635
DOI: 10.1081/CSS-120038559 Copyright & 2004 by Marcel Dekker, Inc. 0010-3624 (Print); 1532-2416 (Online) www.dekker.com

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Park et al. compost and chemical fertilizers for 34 years in rice monoculture production at National Youngnam Agricultural Experiment Station, Miryang, Korea. Four different treatments of soil amendments were selected in this study: control, compost application, NPK (nitrogen phosphoruspotassium) fertilizer application, and compost plus NPK fertilizer application. Phosphorus status varied with the longterm applications of compost and fertilizers, and the compost plus NPK fertilizer treatment significantly increased total P in soil. Available P was increased in the treatments that received chemical fertilizers. Applications of compost and chemical fertilizers increased organic P fraction but the ratio of organic P to total P declined with application of compost or chemical fertilizers. Phosphorus-fixation was significantly increased due to the long-term application of compost and chemical fertilizers. The P fixation was highest with iron (Fe) than with aluminum (Al) and calcium (Ca) in the paddy soil. The highest Fe-P content occurred in the compost plus NPK fertilizer treatment. These results represented that the higher level of P remaining in the soil is accumulated by long-term annual application of compost and chemical fertilizers than by that of chemical fertilizer, and P accumulation might be a gradual saturation of the P-sorption capacity. Key Words: Compost; P-fractionation; Long-term fertilization; Paddy soil; Phosphorus.

INTRODUCTION External phosphorus application in the forms of compost and chemical fertilizer to soils of intensive cropping systems often exceeds P uptake by paddy crops. This surplus leads to P accumulation in soils as chemically stable and insoluble forms that may become available to plants in subsequent years.[1,2] Stable or residual P availability to plants is governed by its transformation into various P fractions in the soil.[3] Iron and Al hydrous oxides, crystalline or amorphous Al silicate, and calcium carbonate are major soil minerals that can fix P and make the P insoluble.[4] Humus, since it is normally negatively charged, is not thought to retain much P by itself in soils, however, in association with cations such as Fe3, Al3, and Ca2, it is able to retain significant amounts.[5] The inorganic and organic fixed P in soil can be made available to plants after solubilization by soil microorganisms and phosphate enzymes.[3,6] Although the fixed forms of P can be solubilized and then utilized by subsequent crops, the P can be further stabilized with

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time and availability is low. Therefore continuous annual applications of P are required for optimum P supply, leading to the large accumulation of P in arable soils. The surplus of P in soil can be distributed into the various P fractions. Regression analyses showed the concentrations of several P fractions were linearly related to the cumulative amount of P added with biosolids.[7] Effects of manure and chemical P fertilizer on different pools of soil P have been reported,[8] and the distribution of different P fractions depended mainly on the rates of P applied, P removal by crops, inherent soil properties and climatic conditions.[1,9,10] The results from 10 sites of long-term investigation showed increases in total P, Olsen-P and Mehlich-3 P in soil as result of P surpluses.[11] Phosphorus surpluses in intensive farming areas in the USA have been identified for excessive P accumulation in soil, with consequent increased potential for loss in runoff.[12] In the Netherlands, 25% saturation of P sorption capacity is considered sufficient for P loss from soils unacceptable in terms of risk of water contamination with P.[13] Therefore, long-term P management strategies are important to ascertain the forms and characteristics of P remaining in the soil after repeated compost and fertilizer P additions in an agricultural ecosystem. More information about the forms of P in soils of long-term compost and fertilizer application is needed to assess bioavailability of P and the environmental consequences of the high levels of P that can occur in such soils. The objective of the present investigation was to quantify soil P fraction changes after addition of compost and chemical fertilizers for 34 years in rice monoculture production.

MATERIALS AND METHODS Management Practices The experiment with continuous annual application of compost and fertilizers to paddy cropping system has been conducted since 1967 at National Youngnam Agricultural Experiment Station, Miryang, Korea. The experimental area is characterized as temperate with a mean annual precipitation of about 1230 mm, most of the rain falling between June and September, and a mean annual maximum and minimum air temperature of 30.6 and 6.0 C, respectively. The soil is classified as a Deogpyeong series (a fine clayey, mixed, mesic Aquic Hapludults).

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Four different treatments of soil amendments were selected in this study: control, which received no amendment, compost application, NPK fertilizer application, and compost plus NPK fertilizer application. The N, P2O5 and K2O were applied at 150, 100, and 100 kg ha1, respectively. Compost was applied at 10 Mg ha1. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design, with three replications with plot size of 8 m 6 m. Rice seedlings were normally transplanted in June and harvested in October. All plant materials except roots were removed. Plots were ploughed to a depth of 20 cm in November of each year and remained fallow until the next rice cultivation.

Soil Sampling and Analysis Soil sample were collected from the Ap horizon (015 depth) in November 2001 for the estimation of general chemical properties and P status. The soil samples were air-dried at room temperature, ground to pass through a 2-mm sieve, and stored at room temperature. Soil organic matter was determined by the dichromate oxidation method.[14] Soil pH was measured using combination glass electrode in a 1:5 soil to water suspension. Exchangeable cations were extracted by 1 M ammonium acetate and measured using atomic absorption spectrometry.[15] Available phosphorus was extracted by the combination of acetic acid and ammonium fluoride.[16] Total phosphorus was determined after digestion with 70% perchloric acid. Phosphate in the extracts was determined colorimetrically with the molybdate-ascorbic acid procedure.[17] Organic phosphate was estimated from 0.5 M H2SO4 extractable P in a soil sample ignited at 550 C.[18] Inorganic phosphate was fractionated by the procedure of Chang and Jackson[19]; Al-P, Fe-P, and Ca-P were extracted by 0.5 M of NH4F, 0.1 M NaOH, and 0.5 M H2SO4, respectively.[19]

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Long-term annual application of compost and NKP fertilizers significantly changed soil chemical properties (Table 1). Soil pH was increased by 0.10.3 units in compost and NPK fertilizers applications compared to control treatment. The highest soil pH was with compost plus NPK treatment. Compared to the compost application, soil pH was higher in the treatment of NPK fertilizers. The long-term application of

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Table 1. Chemical properties of paddy soils after long-term annual applications of compost and chemical fertilizers. Exchangeable cations K Treatment Control Compost NPK Compost NPK LSD0.05 ns: not significant. pH (H2O) 5.15 5.24 5.46 5.48 0.06 OM (%) 3.31 3.83 3.00 4.09 0.29 0.08 0.31 0.12 0.37 0.04 Ca (cmolc kg1) 2.29 4.09 4.18 4.84 ns 0.91 1.10 1.46 1.46 0.05 Mg

compost and chemical fertilizers increased soil pH, and this result was similar to the report of Cox et al.[20] Organic matter content in soil was significantly increased due to the long-term application of compost and compost plus NPK fertilizers compared to the organic matter content in the soil of control plot (Table 1). The highest organic matter content was recorded in the soil of compost plus NPK fertilizer application, followed by compost application. The increase in organic matter content could be mainly due to the application of compost. Albiach et al.[21] and Ouedraogo et al.[22] also reported the build up of organic matter in soils amended with compost. Compost and NPK fertilizer applications increased the amount of nutrients in soil. Exchangeable K, magnesium (Mg), and Ca were increased in the soils received compost and NPK fertilizers. The highest exchangeable cations occurred in the compost plus NPK fertilizer treatment, whereas the least exchangeable cations were recorded in control. Increase of CEC and cations in soils treated with compost and NPK fertilizer could be the reason of higher exchangeable cations.

Soil P Accumulation and Fractionation The highest available P was in the treatment receiving compost plus NPK fertilizers and was followed by the treatment with only NPK fertilizers (Table 2). The available P contents in soil of the two treatments were significantly superior over the content in the compost and control treatments. More P application in the compost plus NPK fertilizers could be the reason for the highest available P content in the soil. This result

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Table 2. Concentration of different P fractions in paddy soils after long-term annual application of compost and chemical fertilizers. Avail-P Treatment Control Compost NPK Compost NPK LSD0.05 24.8 28.7 60.8 90.0 7.0 180.2 207.3 244.3 296.4 34.1 Org-P Al-P Fe-P
1

Ca-P

Total-P

(P mg kg ) 38.4 48.1 83.9 94.3 5.6 163.7 243.9 392.2 539.9 33.7 27.1 35.2 57.3 58.7 15.3 522.1 713.4 868.4 1158.5 46.7

also indicates that P applied in form of inorganic fertilizer could remain in soil as more easily available forms. Due to the change of soil pH, fixation of phosphate by Al and Fe would be decreased and desorption of surface P would be increased.[23,24] The application of compost, NPK fertilizers and compost plus NPK fertilizers resulted in increased total P compared to the control soil. The highest total P was recorded in the treatment receiving compost plus NPK fertilizers (Table 2). The input of P in the treatment could be the main reason of the high P accumulation, and this result indicates that compost plus chemical fertilizer application lead to large amount of unutilized P. Hooda et al.[11] reported that an increase of total P occurred at sites received P input from long-term manuring and fertilization. Damodar Reddy et al.[8] also found that annual application of compost or fertilizer P increased the soil inorganic and organic P fractions. The organic P content also increased in the soil due to the application of compost, NPK, or both fertilizers. The highest organic phosphorus content was recorded in the compost plus NPK fertilizer application, followed by NPK fertilizer application and compost application (Table 2). The unfertilized treatment showed the least organic P content in the soil. If P fertilizer was applied with compost, excess P may have inhibited phosphorylase activity and consequently suppressed mineralization processes and favored a build up of organic P.[8] Also the stimulated plant growth and accumulation of organic material in soil with rice root mass could contribute to the higher organic P in the soil of compost plus NPK fertilizer treatment where P was supplied in excess of crop needs. The P fractions of fixed form with Al, Fe, and Ca also increased as total P in soil increased. Application of compost, chemical fertilizers, or

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Table 3. Proportion quantity of individual P fraction in total P measured in paddy soil after long-term applications of compost and chemical fertilizers. Avail-P Treatment Control Compost NPK Compost NPK LSD0.05 ns: not significant. 4.7 4.0 7.0 7.8 1.3 7.3 6.8 9.5 8.1 0.9 Al-P Fe-P (%) 31.3 34.2 45.2 46.6 4.79 5.1 4.9 6.6 5.0 ns 34.5 28.9 28.1 25.5 3.6 Ca-P Org-P

both materials significantly increased Fe-P and Al-P in comparison to the control treatment (Table 2), but Ca-P content was not much influenced. In the treatments receiving chemical P fertilizer, Fe-P and Al-P contents were significantly increased in comparison to the control and compost treatments. The P application, in excess of plant demands can be accumulated as fixed forms and contribute slowly to available P.[25] The contents of Fe-P, Al-P, and Ca-P were highest in the soil of compost plus NPK treatment; probably because of high P input. The measured total P exceeded the sum of available P, organic P, and Fe-P, Al-P, and Ca-P. This result indicates that applied phosphorus might also be fixed in other places like clay minerals and silicate.[4] The ratio of each P fraction to total P is shown (Table 3). Proportion of available P was in the range of 4.0 to 7.8% of total P, and the proportion was highest in the treatments of chemical fertilizers. The application of inorganic P fertilizer can increase available P levels.[26] The proportions of Al-P and Ca-P were in the ranges of 6.0 to 9.6 and 5.0 to 6.6% of total P, respectively, and the proportions were not different among the treatments. The 31 to 47% of total P fixed with Fe in paddy soil and the proportion of organic P in the total P were also high in all of the treatments.

CONCLUSIONS The application of compost, chemical fertilizer, or both materials over a period of time resulted in build up of total and available phosphorus in soil. Available P level in soil was related to total P and P input. The high level of total P in soil also increased fixed forms of P with

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Fe, Al and Ca. Continuous application of compost and chemical fertilizers increased inorganic P in fractions more than organic P in the soil. Excessive application of P to soil could increase P fixation, largely in form of Fe-P in paddy soil. The proportion of organic P in total P declined with the application compost and chemical fertilizers. Long-term annual application of compost and chemical fertilizers resulted in the accumulation of P remaining in the soil. Although the P remaining in the soil can be available to succeeding crops, the long-term effects of P surplus would be a gradual saturation of the P-sorption capacity and might make the P loss arising from such soil in terms of water contamination with P.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was partially supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry through the R & D promotion Center for Agriculture and Forestry, Korea, and ASEAN Post-doc fellowship to Dr. Olayvanh Singvilay from the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation.

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20. Cox, D.; Bezdicek, D.; Fauci, M. Effects of compost, coal ash, and straw amendments on restoring the quality of eroded Palouse soil. Biol. Ferl. Soil 2001, 33, 365372. 21. Albiach, R.; Canet, R.; Pomares, F.; Ingelmo, F. Organic matter components, aggregate stability and biological activity in a horticultural soil fertilizer with different rates of two sewage sludges during ten years. Bioresour. Technol. 2001, 77, 109114. 22. Ouedraogo, E.; Mando, A.; Zombre, N.P. Use of compost to improve soil properties and crop productivity under low input agricultural system in West Africa. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 2001, 84, 259266. 23. Whalen, J.K.; Chang, C.; Clayton, G.W.; Carefoot, J.P. Cattle manure amendments can increase the pH of acid soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 2000, 64, 962966. 24. Shahanded, H.; Hossner, L.R.; Turner, F.T. Phosphorus relationships in flooded rice soils with low extractable phosphorus. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 1994, 58, 11841189. 25. Timsina, J.; Connor, D.J. Productivity and management of ricewheat cropping systems, issues and challenges. Field Crops Res. 2001, 69, 93132. 26. Eghball, B.; Power, J.F. Phosphorus- and nitrogen-based manure and compost applications: corn production and soil phosphorus. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 1999, 63, 895901.