Location: Plant Science Research
Title: Where’s the phosphorus?Author
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Franzluebbers, Alan |
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Submitted to: Hay and Forage Grower
Publication Type: Popular Publication Publication Acceptance Date: 3/16/2025 Publication Date: 4/12/2025 Citation: Franzluebbers, A.J. 2025. Where’s the phosphorus?. Hay and Forage Grower. P. 10-11. Interpretive Summary: Phosphorus is an essential element needed by most plants in moderate quantity so that growth can be optimized under the climatic constraints of a region. An ARS scientist in Raleigh North Carolina described the process of soil testing, as well as how phosphorus has been distributed in soil among a range of farms across 614 profiles in North Carolina and Virginia. The majority of croplands tested high or very high in available phosphorus, while less than 20 percent of soils were at these levels under woodlands. Soil testing should be the first step towards determining whether phosphorus fertilization is necessary. This summary of phosphorus needs and prevalence among land uses continues a series of popular press articles aimed at farmers managing forage and grazing lands in the US. Technical Abstract: Phosphorus is an essential element needed by most plants in moderate quantity so that growth can be optimized under the climatic constraints of a region. An ARS scientist in Raleigh North Carolina described the process of soil testing, as well as how phosphorus has been distributed in soil among a range of farms across 614 profiles in North Carolina and Virginia. The majority of croplands tested high or very high in available phosphorus, while less than 20 percent of soils were at these levels under woodlands. Soil testing should be the first step towards determining whether phosphorus fertilization is necessary. This summary of phosphorus needs and prevalence among land uses continues a series of popular press articles aimed at farmers managing forage and grazing lands in the US. |