Response of Tomato on Calcareous Soils to Different Seedbed Phosphorus Application Rates

doi:10.1016/S1002-0160(07)60009-5

Pedosphere

Volume 17, Issue 1, February 2007, Pages 70-76

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0160(07)60009-5 Get rights and content

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted with five rates (0, 75, 150, 225, and 450 kg P₂O₅ ha-¹) of seedbed P fertilizer application to investigate the yield of tomato in response to fertilizer P rate on calcareous soils with widely different levels of Olsen P (13–142 mg kg-¹) at 15 sites in some suburban counties of Beijing in 1999. Under the condition of no P fertilizer application, tomato yield generally increased with an increase in soil test P levels, and the agronomic level for soil testing P measured with Olsen method was 50 or 82 mg kg-¹ soil to achieve 85% or 95% of maximum tomato yield, respectively. With regard to marketable yield, in the fields where Olsen-P levels were < 50 mg kg-¹, noticeable responses to applied P were observed. On the basis of a linear plateau regression, the optimum seedbed P application rate in the P-insufficient fields was 125 kg P₂O₅ ha-¹ or about 1.5–2 times the P removal from harvested tomato plants. In contrast, in fields with moderate (50 < Olsen P < 90 mg kg-¹) or high (Olsen P > 90 mg kg-¹) available P, there was no marked effect on tomato fruit yield. Field survey data indicated that in most fields with conventional P management, a P surplus typically occurred. Thus, once the soil test P level reached the optimum for crop yield, it was recommended that P fertilizer application be restricted or eliminated to minimize negative environmental effects.

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Considering the agronomic threshold to obtain high yields and environmental thresholds, the optimum soil Olsen-P level has been developed for several vegetable crops based on plant response to P fertilization. For example, in open fields the optimum Olsen-P level in the root zone for tomato production in North China was found to be 50 mg P kg− 1 (Zhang et al., 2007) and was 43.7 mg P kg− 1 for leafy vegetables in South China (Zhang et al., 2007). Fertigation techniques with INM, combining irrigation with fertilization to achieve integrated effects, was also developed in our INM to control nutrients, especially N and K concentrations in the root zone in order to further improve NUE and water use efficiency.
While the concept of sustainability as a goal has become widely accepted, the dominant agricultural paradigm still considers high yield and reduced environmental impact being in conflict with one another. During the past 49 years (1961–2009), the 3.4-fold increase in Chinese agricultural food production can be partly attributed to a 37-fold increase in N fertilization and a 91-fold increase in P fertilization, but the environment costs have been very high. New advances for sustainability of agriculture and ecosystem services will be needed during the coming 50 years to improve nutrient use efficiency (NUE) while increasing crop productivity and reducing environmental risk. Here, we advocate and develop integrated nutrient management (INM) based on more than 20 years of studies. In this INM approach, the key components comprise (1) optimizing nutrient inputs by taking all possible nutrient sources into consideration, (2) matching nutrient supply in root zone with crop requirements spatially and temporally, (3) reducing N losses in intensively managed cropping systems, and (4) taking all possible yield-increasing measures into consideration. Recent large-scale application of INM for cereal, vegetable, and fruit cropping systems has shed light on how INM can lead to significantly improved NUE, while increasing crop yields and reducing environmental risk. The INM has already influenced Chinese agricultural policy and national actions, and resulted in increasing food production with decreased climb of chemical fertilizer consumption at a national scale over recent years. The INM can thus be considered an effective agricultural paradigm to ensure food security and improve environmental quality worldwide, especially in countries with rapidly developing economies.
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¹: Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30230250) and the Ministry of Agriculture, China (No. 2003-Z53).

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Response of Tomato on Calcareous Soils to Different Seedbed Phosphorus Application Rates1

Abstract

Advances in Agronomy

Geoderma

Agricultural Ecosystems and Environment

Nonpoint pollution of surface waters with phosphorus and nitrogen

Ecological Applications

Evaluation of current fertilizer practice and soil fertility in vegetable production in the Beijing region

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems

The problems and countermeasures of vegetable fertilization in Beijing

Journal of China Agricultural University

Nutrient threat to sustainable agriculture

Phosphorus runoff form agricultural land and direct fertilizer effects: A review

Journal of Environmental Quality

Phosphorus leaching from soils containing different phosphorus concentrations in the Broadbalk Experiment

Journal of Environmental Quality

Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium responses and requirements in calcareous sand greens

Agronomy Journal

Response of Tomato on Calcareous Soils to Different Seedbed Phosphorus Application Rates¹