Phosphorus and Organic Acid Bonding Enhances Uptake Efficiency in Crop Plants.

Phosphorus (P) fertilizer is essential for crop production, but reductions are warranted to conserve resources and minimize environmental impacts. Several lab, glasshouse, growth chamber, and field studies have been performed over the past six years with a new P fertilizer (Carbond P; CBP; Land View Fertilizer, Rupert, ID, USA) mostly in calcareous, low OM soil. Studies comparing CBP to ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and monoammonium phosphate (MAP) applied to soil show season-long increases in P solubility for CBP in many soils. Glasshouse and field studies with maize, dry beans, potato, sugarbeet, alfalfa, wheat, and bluegrass resulted in enhanced yields and/or crop quality in 23 of the 45 studies. Three glasshouse studies were done with maize grown in a sandy loam soil modified to be either calcareous, alkaline non-calcareous, acid, and neutral with six rates of P using CBP or APP. A soil by fertilizer source interaction was observed with most measured parameters. Phosphorus resulted in increased biomass, plant height, and total P uptake, especially for CBP at the lowest two rates (10 and 20 kg ha-1). Biomass was similar for CBP and APP at the highest rates. Stem width consistently increased with CBP greater than APP at all rates. Carbond P is an enhanced efficiency fertilizer that often increases yields and crop quality and almost always increases P uptake in plants compared to traditional fertilizers when applied at low rates on calcareous soils with relatively low soil test P.Ê