Estimating soil phosphorus requirements and limits from oxalate extract data

Excessive fertilizer and manure phosphorus (P) inputs to soils elevates P in soil solution and surface runoff, which can lead to fresh-water eutrophication. Runoff P can be related to soil test P and P sorption saturation, but these approaches are restricted to a limited range of soil types or are difficult to determine on a routine basis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether easily measurable soil characteristics were related to the soil phosphorus requirements (P_req, the amount of P sorbed at a particular solution P level). The P_req was determined for 18 chemically diverse soils from sorption isotherm data (corrected for native sorbed P) and was found to be highly correlated to the sum of oxalate-extractable Al and Fe (R² > 0.90). Native sorbed P, also determined from oxalate extraction, was subtracted from the P_req to determine soil phosphorus limits (P_L, the amount of P that can be added to soil to reach P_req). Using this approach, the P_L to reach 0.2 mg P L^-1 in solution ranged between -92 and 253 mg P kg^-1. Negative values identified soils with surplus P, while positive values showed soils with P deficiency. The results showed that P, Al, and Fe in oxalate extracts of soils held promise for determining P_L to reach up to 10 mg P L^-1 in solution (leading to potential runoff from many soils). The soil oxalate extraction test could be integrated into existing best management practices for improving soil fertility and protecting water quality.