Effects of Natural Fallow and Pig Slurry Drip Irrigation on Phosphorus Accumulation and Fractionation in a Coastal Saline Soil

Organic inputs are believed to be able to increase soil phosphorus (P) availability. Natural fallow and pig slurry amendments are the two important organic inputs for agricultural soils. The purposes of the study are to investigate P accumulation and to compare the differences of P fractionation patterns as affected by natural fallow and pig slurry drip irrigation in a coastal saline soil. The study showed that P accumulation occurred mainly in upper soil profiles and that natural fallow or pig slurry drip irrigation alone would not significantly influence total P distribution in soil profiles. However, soil P fractionation demonstrated that, from bottom to top, bioavailable P content and percentage increased whereas residual P percentage declined. The percentage of extractable inorganic P was almost twice as much as that of extractable organic P. In comparison with natural fallow conditions, under pig slurry drip-irrigation conditions, the transformation efficiency of superphosphate fertilizer HCl Pi into residual P was lower whereas the transformation efficiency of superphosphate fertilizer HCl P-i into bioavailable P was higher. The higher bioavailable P percentage and lower average C-org/P ratio in a long-term pig slurry drip-irrigation plot than those in other plots indicated that long-term pig slurry drip-irrigation was more efficient in improving soil P availability than natural fallow and short-term pig slurry drip irrigation.