Effect of reactive phosphate rocks and water-soluble phosphorus fertilisers on extractable phosphorus concentrations in soil

Soil samples were collected each year from all plots at all sites in the National Reactive Phosphate Rock Project and analysed for bicarbonate-soluble phosphorus (P) using the Colwell procedure (soil test P). The relationship between soil test P and the level of P applied was adequately described by a linear equation. The slope coefficient of this equation provides a measure of the extractability of P from soil treated with a particular fertiliser and has been termed the 'extractability' for that particular fertiliser at that site. Extractability values were used to estimate phosphate rock effectiveness; this was done by dividing the extractability for each phosphate rock by the extractability of the reference water-soluble P fertiliser to provide a relative soil extractability (RSE). There was a good agreement between the RSE for a phosphate rock and its substitution value for water-soluble P fertiliser, which is a measure of fertiliser effectiveness based on pasture yield. Estimates of fertiliser effectiveness, based on increases in soil test P values, also agreed with estimates based on pasture yield with respect to the ranking of different P fertilisers, and the ranking of phosphate rocks in order of their reactivity. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify relationships between a range of soil properties and extractability values across sites, but no relationships were found.