Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.

org
ISSN 2224-3216 !a"er# ISSN 222$-%&4' (nline#
)ol.4* No.1$* 2%14

143
Effect of Applied Phosphorus on the Availability of
Micronutrients in Alkaline-Calcareous Soil

+a,a- .li
1
.roo/ Sadi0
1
Irshad .li
1
1uhammad .min
22
1uhammad .mir
3

1.3e"artment of Soil and Environmental Sciences* 4he 5niversit, of .griculture !eshawar !a6istan
2.3e"artment of .gricultural 7hemistr,* 4he 5niversit, of .griculture !eshawar !a6istan
3.3e"artment of !lant 8reeding and 9enetics* 4he 5niversit, of .griculture !eshawar !a6istan
2+or 7orres"ondence Email: agrian.amin%6;gmail.com

Abstract
4he "resent e<"eriment was carried out to stud, the effect of a""lied "hos"horus on the availa=ilit, of
micronutrients in al6aline-calcareous soil. +or this "ur"ose an incu=ation e<"eriment was conducted in the
la=orator, of Soil and Environmental Sciences 3e"artment* 4he 5niversit, of .griculture !eshawar !a6istan
during 2%%& with varia=le amounts of "hos"horus* i.e. %* 3%* 6%* &%* 12% and 1$% 6g ! ha
-1
in the form of single
su"er "hos"hate. 4he e<"eriment was conducted in com"letel, randomi-ed =loc6 design with three re"lications
consisted of 1%% g of soil in each "ot. 4he e<"eriment was incu=ated for 2' da,s under normal conditions. 4he
soil was 6e"t moist u" to field ca"acit, condition throughout the incu=ation "eriod. >esults regarding the effect
of "hos"horus a""lication on the availa=ilit, of micronutrients showed non-significant differences in the
treatments of a""lied "hos"horus* =ut the trend of each micronutrient was o=vious. 4he overall results showed
that as the a""lication of "hos"horus increases* the concentrations of 8* ?n and 7u graduall, decreases* which
indicate negative interactions* while the concentrations of !* +e and 1n increases "erha"s due to "ositive
interactions with a""lied "hos"horus during incu=ation "eriod. >esults further showed as the a""lied ! from
single su"er "hos"hate# increases the "@-values graduall, decreases* which resulted significantl, negative
correlation with one another r
2
A %.'3#. 4hese results indicate that with the a""lication of ! as single su"er
"hos"hate reduced the "@ of soil and has favora=le effect on the solu=ilit, of micronutrients* s"ecificall, +e and
1n in the al6aline-calcareous soils.
Keywords: !hos"horus* 1icronutrients availa=ilit,

I!"#$%C!I#
!hos"horus is the second ma/or essential element and is re0uired =, "lants for root develo"ment* cell
division* flowering seed and fruit formation 8rad,* 1&'4#. !hos"horus in soils occurs in the form of "rimar, and
secondar, ortho"hos"hate. 1ost "ossi=l, all cro"s ta6e u" @
2
!(
4
-
more readil, than @!(
4
--
and a=ove "@ B.%
the relative concentration of the divalent ion is greater than that of monovalent ion.
In !a6istan* farmers are using various "hos"hatic fertili-ers such as single su"er "hos"hate* tri"le su"er
"hos"hate* di-ammonium "hos"hate and nitro "hos"hate for getting the increase ,ield of various cro"s. (n the
other hand* e<cess and im=alance use of !-fertili-ers ma, effect the solu=ilit, of micronutrients ?n* 8* 7u* +e
and 1n#* which cause reduced cro"s ,ield. . num=er of field and green house e<"eriments on the micronutrients
status in soils and their res"onse to various cro"s have indicated that some of the areas of Ch,=er !a6htun6hwa
are deficient in one or more trace elements Chatta6 et al.* 1&'3#. 4he deficienc, or unavaila=ilit, of these
micronutrients are "ro=a=l, the result of various factors* such as calcareous nature and al6aline reactions soils*
introduction of high ,ielding varieties* heav, a""lication of high grade fertili-ers* low organic matter* and
im=alance use of nutrient or e<cess of certain "hos"hatic fertili-ers* which not onl, su""ress the cro"s ,ield* =ut
also reduced the availa=ilit, of micronutrients* "erha"s due to chemical or "h,siological interactions in soil-"lant
s,stems. @owever* these interactions are designated as "hos"horus induced micronutrients disorders 4immer
and 4eng* 1&&%#* though "hos"horus induced micronutrients deficienc, is not common to all soils* cro" s"ecies
and environmental conditions* =ut it has =een "roved in various soils and cro"s @aldar and 1andal* 1&'1D
8adhe and 1undwai6* 1&'2D 7a6ma6 and 1arschner* 1&'BD Eang et al.* 1&&%D 1oustaoui et al., 1&&1D ./ouri et
al., 2%%4D Stanislaws6a-9lu=ia6 and Cor-eniows6a* 2%%$#.
So* it is evident from the literature that "hos"horus interfere in the availa=ilit, of micronutrients in soils
and u"ta6e =, "lants* =ut no detail stud, have =een carried out to find out the =alance a""lication of various
"hos"hate fertili-er on the availa=ilit, of micronutrients in al6aline-calcareous soils. 4herefore* the main aim of
the "resent "ro/ect is to investigate the relationshi" and availa=ilit, of micronutrients with "hos"horus in soil =,
a""l,ing "hos"hate fertili-er to soil with the following main o=/ectives were to investigate the effect of a""lied
"hos"horus on the availa=ilit, of micronutrients ?n* 7u* +e* 1n and 8# in al6aline-calcareous soils.

MA!E"IA&S A$ ME!'#$S
E(peri)ental description
. "ot e<"eriment was carried out in the la=orator, of Soil and Environmental Sciences 3e"artment*
Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-3216 !a"er# ISSN 222$-%&4' (nline#
)ol.4* No.1$* 2%14

144
4he 5niversit, of .griculture !eshawar !a6istan* with varia=le amounts of "hos"horus* i.e. %* 3%* 6%* &%* 12%
and 1$% 6g ! ha
-1
in the form of single su"er "hos"hate. 4he e<"eriment was conducted in com"letel,
randomi-ed =loc6 design with three re"lications consisted of 1%% g of soil in each "ot. 4he e<"eriment was
incu=ated for 2' da,s under normal conditions. 4he soil was 6e"t moist u" to field ca"acit, condition throughout
the incu=ation "eriod. 8efore "hos"horus fertili-er a""lication the original soil sam"le was anal,-ed for various
"h,sico-chemical characteristics and the desired nutrients status =, the routine standard "rocedures.

Soil analysis of incubated pots
.fter termination of the e<"eriment* soil from each incu=ated "ot was collected and anal,-ed for "@ in
1:$ soil water sus"ension* the method as suggested =, 1cFean 1&'2#. .8-34!. e<tracta=le !* ?n* +e* 7u and
1n was determined =, the "rocedure as descri=ed =, Soltan"ur and Schwa= 1&BB# and the readings for ! after
color develo"ment "rocedure# and ?n* +e* 7u and 1n were ta6en on s"ectro"hotometer and atomic a=sor"tion
s"ectro"hotometer* res"ectivel,. Ehile* 8 in soil was e<tracted with hot water followed =, .-omethine-@ color
develo"ment method as suggested =, 8ingham 1&'2#.

Statistical analysis
Statistical anal,sis was "erformed =, com"uter using 1S4.4-7 "ac6age. 4he collected data was
anal,-ed using .N(). and the means were com"ared =, FS3-test of significance Steel et al.* 1&&B#.

"ES%&!S A$ $ISC%SSI#
Physico-che)ical characteristic of e(peri)ental soil
8efore conducting the incu=ation e<"eriment in the la=orator, the e<"erimental soil was anal,-ed for
various "h,sico-chemical characteristics and nutrient status 4a=le 1#. >esults showed that the e<"erimental soil
was silt loam in te<ture* al6aline in reaction* non-saline and calcareous in nature* low in organic matter* .8-
34!. e<tracta=le "hos"horus* -inc and iron* while co""er* manganese and @ES-=oron* contents were ade0uate
as re"orted the critical limits in soil for these nutrients =, Soltan"ur and Schwa= 1&BB# and Sillan"aa 1&'2#*
res"ectivel,.
!able *: Physico-che)ical characteristics of e(peri)ental soil
Properties %nits +alues
Sand G 33.4
Silt G $'.2
7la, G '.4%
4e<tural class --- Silt loam
!@
s
1:$# --- B.B3
E7
s
1:$# dSm-1 %.33
(rganic matter G %.6$
Fime G 11.$%
@ES-=oron mg 6g
-1
%.B%
.8-34!. e<tracta=le ! mg 6g
-1
4.%'
.8-34!. e<tracta=le ?n mg 6g
-1
1.%$
.8-34!. e<tracta=le 7u mg 6g
-1
3.43
.8-34!. e<tracta=le +e mg 6g
-1
2.B'
.8-34!. e<tracta=le 1n mg 6g
-1
3.3%

Micronutrient concentrations of incubated soil
>esults of the incu=ated soil showed that as the "hos"horus a""lication increases the concentration of !
in soil significantl, increases in a linear fashion 4a=le 2#. .lthough the ! concentrations in some incu=ated
treatments were still not reached to the sufficienc, level with a""lied graded !* which indicate that the test soil
was "oor in availa=le ! Soltan"our and Schwa=* 1&BB#* or ma, =e due to the adsor"tion of "hos"hate ions in the
soil due to al6aline reaction and calcareous nature of the incu=ated soil.

Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-3216 !a"er# ISSN 222$-%&4' (nline#
)ol.4* No.1$* 2%14

14$
!able ,: Effect of phosphorus supply on the availability of )icronutrients in soil
Applied P
-k. ha
-*
/
Concentration
------------------------------------ ). k.
-*
-----------------------------------
P 0 1n Cu 2e Mn
3 4.14 %.B$ 1.&6 4.2% 2.2' 3.B3
43 4.24 %.BB 1.$$ 3.'& 2.44 4.2%
53 $.B$ %.6$ 1.61 3.&& 3.1B 4.$B
63 B.6$ %.$$ 1.32 3.B& 3.%6 4.$%
*,3 '.B2 %.6$ 1.%1 3.$& 3.&2 4.6B
*73 &.&1 %.$3 1.%2 3.2$ 3.46 4.B1

&S$ -P83937/ 1.B2 NS NS NS NS NS
C+ : 14.%% 1&.$' 2&.2& 1B.B' 26.21 24.$2

>esults regarding the effect of "hos"horus a""lication on the availa=ilit, of micronutrients showed non-
significant differences =ut the trend of each micronutrient was o=vious 4a=le 2#. 8oron showed a decreasing
trend with a""lied "hos"horus. 4he decreasing trend of 8 in soil seems to =e due anion com"etition =etween !
and 8* which reduced the availa=ilit, of 8 in soil. 4hese results are in line with the "revious wor6 of 9unes and
.l"aslan 2%%%# who re"orted that 8 was more to<ic in the a=sence rather than the "resence of ! and this to<icit,
could =e alleviated with the a""lication of ! in the calcareous soils of semi-arid areas.
1icronutrients cations# such as ?n and 7u also showed a decreasing trend with increasing the graded
"hos"horus a""lication to soil 4a=le 2#. 4his reduced availa=ilit, due to interference of a""lied "hos"horus is
ver, common in soils. !erha"s due to the formation of insolu=le forms of -inc and co""er* such as ?n-"hos"hate
and 7u-"hos"hate* res"ectivel,. Similar negative interactions =etween "hos"horus and these micronutrients were
re"orted =, 1andal and @aldar 1&'%# the, noted that a""lied "hos"horus decreased the content of 34!.-
e<tracta=le ?n and 7u in soils* the rate of decrease graduall, declining with the "rogress of the incu=ation "eriod.
>est of the micronutrients cations# such as +e and 1n showed an o""osite trend with regard to a""lied
"hos"horus 4a=le 2#. It is evident from the results as the a""lied "hos"horus increases the concentrations of +e
and 1n also increased* "erha"s due the "ositive interactions =etween a""lied "hos"horus and these two
micronutrients in the soil. 8ecause increased a""lied "hos"horus increased the e<tracta=le +e and 1n and
lowered the soil "@* causing these metals to =e more solu=le during incu=ation "eriod. Similar results were
re"orted =, Shuman 1&''#.
4he overall results showed that as the a""lication of "hos"horus from single su"er "hos"hate increases*
the soil "@ graduall, decreases due to the acidic "@ of the fertili-er# along the concentrations of 8* ?n and 7u*
which indicate negative interactions* while the concentrations of !* +e and 1n increases ma, =e due to "ositive
interactions with a""lied "hos"horus during incu=ation "eriod.

Soil p' of incubated soil
Soil "@ of the incu=ated soil was determined at the termination of e<"eriment. >esults showed as the
graded a""lied ! from single su"er "hos"hate# increases the "@-values graduall, decreases* which resulted
significantl, negative correlation with one another +igure 1#. @owever* statistical anal,sis showed that the
differences in the "@-values among various treatments were not ver, large. 4hese results indicate that with the
a""lication of ! as single su"er "hos"hate reduced the "@ of soil and has favora=le effect on the solu=ilit, of
micronutrients in the al6aline-calcareous soils.

Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-3216 !a"er# ISSN 222$-%&4' (nline#
)ol.4* No.1$* 2%14

146

2i.ure *: "elationship between applied P and soil p'

S%MMA";
.n incu=ation e<"eriment was conducted in the la=orator, of Soil and Environmental Sciences
3e"artment* 4he 5niversit, of .griculture !eshawar !a6istan* with varia=le amounts of "hos"horus* i.e. %* 3%*
6%* &%* 12% and 1$% 6g ! ha
-1
in the form of single su"er "hos"hate. 4he e<"eriment was conducted in
com"letel, randomi-ed =loc6 design with three re"lications consisted of 1%% g of soil in each "ot. 4he
e<"eriment was incu=ated for 2' da,s under normal conditions. 4he soil was 6e"t moist u" to field ca"acit,
condition throughout the incu=ation "eriod. 8efore "hos"horus fertili-er a""lication the original soil sam"le was
anal,-ed for the desired nutrients status and the results showed that .8-e<tracta=le !* ?n and +e were low* while
@ES-8* 7u and 1n were ade0uate.
>esults regarding a""lied "hos"horus on the availa=ilit, of micronutrients showed non-significant
differences* =ut the trend of each micronutrient were o=vious. 8oron showed a decreasing trend with a""lied
"hos"horus. 4he decreasing trend of 8 in soil seems to =e due to anion com"etition =etween ! and 8* which
reduced the availa=ilit, of 8 in soil. 1icronutrients cations# such as ?n and 7u also showed a decreasing trend
with increasing the graded "hos"horus a""lication to soil. 4his reduced availa=ilit, "erha"s due to the formation
of insolu=le forms of -inc and co""er* such as ?n-"hos"hate and 7u-"hos"hate* res"ectivel,. Ehile*
micronutrients cations# such as +e and 1n showed an o""osite trend with regard to a""lied "hos"horus. >esults
showed as the a""lied "hos"horus increases the concentrations of +e and 1n also increased* "erha"s due the
"ositive interactions. 8ecause a""lied "hos"horus increased the e<tracta=le +e and 1n and lowered the soil "@*
causing these metals to =e more solu=le during incu=ation "eriod.
4he overall results showed that as the a""lication of "hos"horus from single su"er "hos"hate increases*
the soil "@ graduall, decreases due to the acidic "@ of the fertili-er# along with the concentrations of 8* ?n and
7u* which indicate negative interactions* while the concentrations of !* +e and 1n increases ma, =e due to
"ositive interactions with a""lied "hos"horus.

C#C&%SI#S
4he following conclusions were drawn from the "resent "iece of wor6
i. 4he e<"erimental soil was silt loam in te<ture* al6aline in reaction* non-saline and calcareous in
nature* low in organic matter* .8-34!. e<tracta=le "hos"horus* -inc and iron* while co""er*
manganese and @ES-=oron* contents were ade0uate com"ared with the re"orted critical limits in
soil for these nutrients in the literature.
ii. 4he overall results showed that as the a""lication of "hos"horus from single su"er "hos"hate
increases* the soil "@ graduall, decreases due to the acidic "@ of the fertili-er# along with the
concentrations of 8* ?n and 7u* which indicate negative interactions* while the concentrations of !*
+e and 1n increases ma, =e due to "ositive interactions with a""lied "hos"horus during incu=ation
, A -%.%166< H B.B$$'
>
2
A %.'26$
B.$%
B.$B
B.64
B.B1
B.B'
% 3% 6% &% 12% 1$%
.""lied ! 6g ha-1
S
o
i
l

"
@
Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-3216 !a"er# ISSN 222$-%&4' (nline#
)ol.4* No.1$* 2%14

14B
"eriod.
iii. .s the a""lied ! from single su"er "hos"hate# increases the "@-values graduall, decreases* which
resulted significantl, negative correlation with one another r
2
A %.'3#. 4hese results indicate that
with the a""lication of ! as single su"er "hos"hate reduced the "@ of soil and has favora=le effect
on the solu=ilit, of micronutrients* s"ecificall, +e and 1n in the al6aline-calcareous soils.
iv. +urther com"rehensive studies are warranted to find out the effect of a""lied "hos"horus on the
availa=ilit, of micronutrients on various soils under controlled conditions.

&I!E"A!%"E CI!E$
./ouri* ..* @. .sgedom and 1. 8ec6er. 2%%4. Seed "riming enhances germination and seedling growth of =arle,
under conditions of ! and ?n deficienc,. J. !lant Nutr. and Soil Sci. 16B: 63%-636.
8adhe* N.N. and S.!. 1undwai6. 1&'2. Effect of "hos"horus concentration on +e* ?n* 7u and 1n utili-ation =,
sorghum and wheat. Ind. J. .gric. 5niv. 1aharashtra B2#: 14'-1$%.
8ingham* +.4. 1&'2. 8oron. ". 431-44'. In: 1ethods of Soil .nal,sis !art-2 7hemical and mineralogical
"ro"erties ..F. !age ed.#* .S.* 1adison* EI* 5S..
8rad,* N.7. 1&'4. 4he nature and "ro"erties of soils* &
th
Edition# 1acmillan !u=lishing inc.* New Ior6* 5S..
7a6ma6* I. and @. 1arschner. 1&'B. 1echanism of "hos"horus-induced -inc deficienc, in cotton. III. 7hanges
in "h,siological availa=ilit, of -inc in "lants. Physiologia Plantarum B%: 13-2%.
9unes* ..* and 1. .l"aslan. 2%%%. 8oron u"ta6e and to<icit, in mai-e genot,"es in relation to =oron "hos"horus
su""l,. J. "lant Nutr. 234#: $41-$$%.
@aldar* 1. and F.N. 1andal. 1&'1. Effect of "hos"horus and -inc on the growth and "hos"horus* -inc* co""er*
iron and manganese nutrition of rice. !lant Soil $&: 41$-42$.
Isaac* >... and J.3. Cer=er. 1&B1. .tomic a=sor"tion and flame "hotometer,: techni0ues and uses in soil* "lant
and water anal,sis. In: Instrumental methods for anal,sis of soil and "lant tissue. Ealsh* F.1 Ed#. Soil
Sci. Soc. .m. 1adison* 5S..
Chatta6* J.C.* S. !arveen and ..5. 8hatti. 1&'3. 1icronutrient status of NE+! soils and their res"onse to
various cro"s. 8ull. SS-1. 3e". of Soil Sci. NE+! .gric. 5niv. !eshawar.
1andal* F.N. and 1. @aldar. 1&'%. Influence of "hos"horus and -inc a""lication on the availa=ilit, of -inc*
co""er* iron* manganese and "hos"horus in waterlogged rice soil. Soil Sci. 13&$#: 2$1-2$B.
1cFean* E.(. 1&'2. Soil "@ and lime re0uirement. In: ..F. !age.* >.@. 1iller and 3.>. Ceen,* ed#. 1ethods
of Soil .nal. !art-2 2
nd
ed.#. .m. Soc. .gron &: 1&&-2%'.
1oustaoui* 3.* 1. )erloo and J. !auvels. 1&&1. 7ontri=ution to the stud, of "hos"horus--inc interaction.
!edologie* 413#: 2$1-261.
Nelson* 3.E. and F.E. Sommers. 1&&6. 4otal car=on* organic car=on and organic matter. In: 1ethods of Soil
.nal,sis !art-3 3.F. S"ar6s* ed# SSS. 8oo6 Series No. $* SSS.* Inc: 1adison* Eisconsin* 5S.. !!.
&61-1%1%.
>hoades* J.3. 1&&6. Salinit,: Electrical 7onductivit, and total dissolved salts. In: 3.F. S"ar6s ed#. 1ethods of
Soil .nal. !art-3. .m. Soc. .gron. Inc. 1adison EI 5S.. 14: 41B-436.
Shuman* F. 1. 1&''. Effect of "hos"horus level on e<tracta=le micronutrients and their distri=ution among soil
fractions. Soil Sci. Soc. .m. J. $2: 136-141
Sillan"a* 1. 1&'2. 1icronutrient and nutrient status of soil. . glo=al stud,* +.( Soil 8ulleton No. 4': >ome.
Soil and "lant anal,sis council. 2%%4. Soil .nal,sis. @and 8oo6 of >eference 1ethods* 7>7 "ress* 5S..
Soltan"ur* !.N. and ..!. Schwa=. 1&BB. . new soil test for simultaneous e<traction of macro and micro nutrients
in al6ali soils. 7omm. Soil Sci. and !lant .nal. ': 1&$-2%B.
Stanislawas6a-9lu=ia6* E. and J. Cor-eniows6a. 2%%$. Effect of e<cessive -inc content in soil on the "hos"horus
content in wheat "lants. Elect. J. !olish .gric. 5niv. '4#: 1-'.
Steel* >.9.3.* J.@. 4orrie and 3... 3ic6e. 1&&B. !rinci"les and !rocedures of Statistics. . =iometrical a""roach
3
rd
edition. 4he 1c9raw-@ill* com"onies* Inc* NI. 5S..
4immer* ).>. and I. 4eng. 1&&%. !hos"horus-induced micronutrient disorders in h,=rid "o"ular. >es"onses to
-inc and co""er in greenhouse culture. !lant Soil 1261#: 31-3&.
Eang* @.J.* J.F. Eu* 4.J ?hang* (.J. Eu* I. 7hen* J.S. 8ian and +. Shaan. 1&&%. Stud, on interaction =etween
! and ?n and their influence on the growth of mai-e seedlings in calcareous soils. .ct. !edologica
Sinica 2B3#: 241-24&.

The IISTE is a pioneer in the Open-Access hosting service and academic event
management. The aim of the firm is Accelerating Global Knowledge Sharing.

More information about the firm can be found on the homepage:
http://www.iiste.org

CALL FOR JOURNAL PAPERS
There are more than 30 peer-reviewed academic journals hosted under the hosting
platform.
Prospective authors of journals can find the submission instruction on the
following page: http://www.iiste.org/journals/ All the journals articles are available
online to the readers all over the world without financial, legal, or technical barriers
other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. Paper version
of the journals is also available upon request of readers and authors.

MORE RESOURCES
Book publication information: http://www.iiste.org/book/

IISTE Knowledge Sharing Partners
EBSCO, Index Copernicus, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, JournalTOCS, PKP Open
Archives Harvester, Bielefeld Academic Search Engine, Elektronische
Zeitschriftenbibliothek EZB, Open J-Gate, OCLC WorldCat, Universe Digtial
Library , NewJour, Google Scholar