Phosphorus availability as affected by the application of organic amendments in Ultisols

• Main Authors: Zainal Muktamar, Lifia Lifia, Teguh Adiprasetyo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sebelas Maret University 2020-06-01
• Series: Sains Tanah: Journal of Soil Science and Agroclimatology
• Subjects: available p; cattle manure; chicken manure; ultisols; vermicompost
• Online Access: https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/tanah/article/view/41284
• ISSN: 1412-3606; 2356-1424

The adequacy and availability of phosphorous (P) in the soil during the organic matter decomposition are important for plant growth, especially in the early stages since most organic matter slowly release plant nutrients. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the availability of P during organic amendments in Ultisols. The incubation experiment used a completely Randomized Design (CRD) for 7 treatments which consisted of vermicompost, chicken, and cattle manure at the rate of 15 and 30 Mg ha-1. Soil and organic amendments were incorporated into a 5 kg polybag and the mixture was incubated for 7 weeks. The soil was sampled at the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 weeks, and analyzed for P availability and pH. Also, the Total Soil Organic Carbon (TSOC), Total Soil Nitrogen (TSN), exchangeable Al, and Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) were analyzed from the soil sampled either at week 4 or 7. The result showed that P increased slowly in the first 3 weeks of incubation, followed by a drastic continuous increase in week 4. The experiment also confirmed that chicken manure released the highest and fastest amount of P to the soil as compared to vermicompost, and cattle manure. On average, the increment of P was 2.28, 1.71, and 1.97 mg kg-1 week-1 for chicken manure, vermicompost, and cattle manure respectively. Furthermore, the improvement of soil chemical properties was achieved using amendment as indicated by the increase in TSN, soil pH, and a decrease in exchangeable Al. The result was significant for P organic fertilization to ensure its availability for plant growth, leading to improved productivity, especially in organic farming systems.