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Winter Wheat Phosphorus Fertilization as Influenced by Glacial Till and Loess Soils
Author(s) -
Sander D. H.,
Penas E. J.,
Walters D. T.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1991.03615995005500050046x
Subject(s) - soil water , loess , fertilizer , phosphorus , agronomy , human fertilization , environmental science , chemistry , soil science , geology , biology , organic chemistry , geomorphology
Fertilizer P efficiency can be greatly affected by different methods of application. This study was conducted to determine the effect of different methods of P application on winter wheat ( Triticum aestivium L.) grain yield, yield components, and fertilizer efficiency as influenced by different soils. Five loess‐derived soils and four till‐derived soils were selected that ranged from 4 to 9 mg P kg −1 (Bray and Kurtz P1). Methods of P application included knifed into the soil (dual placement) (KF), broadcast and incorporated (BF), and application with the seed (SF) at rates of 0, 10, 20, and 30 kg P ha −1 . Results indicated that grain yield was increased differently by applied P on the soils studied. Grain yield increase from applied P was significantly greater on till‐derived soils than loess soils, although soil‐test P (Bray and Kurtz Pl) was similar. Till soils also required a higher P rate to maximize yield than did loess soils. Both KF and SF were consistently superior to BF on all soils but were especially superior on the till soils. Fertilizer efficiencies for BF averaged only 2% on the till soils, compared with 18% for KF and SF applications. Applied P increased head numbers on all soils. The primary reason for increased effectiveness of KF and SF applications was increased effectiveness of head production. As head numbers were increased by applied P, head size was decreased, especially for SF application, which increased head numbers more than KF or BF. Our study concluded that the soil test for P did not adequately determine the degree of P deficiency between loess‐ and glacial‐till‐derived soils for winter wheat production. Seed and knifed‐in methods of P application performed similarly on loess and glacial till soils, both being superior to broadcast application.