The response of a birdwood grass - Townsville lucerne pasture to phosphate fertilizers at Katherine, N.T

1965 ◽  
Vol 5 (17) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJT Norman

In an experiment at Katherine, N.T., the response of birdwood grass-Townsville lucerne (Cenchrus setigerus Vahl and Stylosanthes hurnilis H.B.K.) pasture sown on virgin land to levels of superphosphate and Christmas Island rock phosphate dust and to levels of superphosphate subsequently applied annually for three years was measured. There were no significant interactions between initial and annual applications. Initial applications of 2 and 4 cwt an acre superphosphate both gave higher forage yields of dry matter and nitrogen than 2 and 4 cwt an acre rock phosphate over the experimental period. Phosphorus yield of forage was a function of rate rather than of type of fertilizer. Annual superphosphate applications up to 1 cwt an acre increased the dry matter and nitrogen yields of the grass, but not those of the legume, and increased the phosphorus yield of both. The higher proportion of grass at high superphosphate levels was interpreted as a difference in responsiveness of the two species. A regime of 2 cwt an acre superphosphate initially and 1/2 cwt an acre annually produced 90 per cent of what was considered to be the maximum yield.

1965 ◽  
Vol 5 (19) ◽  
pp. 470 ◽  
Author(s):  
LJ Phillips ◽  
MJT Norman

A four-year experiment on the response of successive crops of peanuts to rates of superphosphate and rock phosphate as initial broadcast applications on virgin land and to rates of annual banded superphosphate was carried out at Katherine, N.T., between 1960 and 1964. By the third year of cropping, with no annual superphosphate, the yield from 4 cwt an acre Nauru or Christmas Island rock phosphate applied initially was slightly greater than that from 4 cwt an acre superphosphate and substantially greater than that from 2 cwt an acre superphosphate. Nauru and Christmas Island rock phosphate were of approximately equal effectiveness. No significant responses were obtained to gypsum in the presence of Christmas Island rock phosphate. Peanuts responded to annual banded applications of superphosphate up to 1 cwt an acre in spite of heavy initial broadcast applications of phosphate. The banded superphosphate was of particular benefit in the establishment and early growth of the crop.


1989 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Date ◽  
D. Ratcliff

SUMMARYNodulated plants of Stylosanthes hamata, S. guianensis, S. humilis, S. scabra and S. fruticosa were grown in controlled environments with varied root and shoot temperatures. Measurement of dry matter and nitrogen content suggested that shoot temperature may be more important than root temperature in controlling growth and nitrogen fixation. There were strong interactions with variety. A fall in relative growth rate with increase in shoot temperature was least for S. guianensis and greatest for S. hamata and S. scabra. The optimum root temperature for growth and nitrogen fixation was approximately 30°C. Ninety percent maximum yield was achieved between root temperatures of 15–36°C for growth and 23–34°C for nitrogen fixation but varied with variety. Nitrogen fixation was more sensitive than dry weight to root temperature. The pattern of response of percentage nitrogen and nitrogen fixation efficiency reflected those for dry weight and nitrogen yields. Shoot to root ratios decreased toward the optimum root temperature then increased at the highest temperature. The reaction of varieties to root and shoot temperatures may be an important factor in determining their suitability for new regions.


1976 ◽  
Vol 16 (81) ◽  
pp. 542 ◽  
Author(s):  
WH Winter ◽  
GP Gillman

The response of a Stylosanthes guyanensislBrachiaria decumbens pasture to phosphorus on a yellow earth soil in northern Cape York Peninsula was studied over three years. Establishment rates of 0 to 130 kg ha-1 P were used followed by various combinations of 0 or 20 kg ha-1 P in the next two years. With comparisons made at the same cumulative P rate the dry matter and nitrogen yields were not affected by timing of application but P yield was increased in the third year when P was freshly applied. The dry matter yield response was modified by the botanical composition of the pasture. In the first year the pasture was 90-95 per cent legume and 110 kg ha-1 P was required to give 90 per cent of the presumed maximum yield whereas in the third year when the legume content was lower, (increasing from 10 to 40 per cent with P rate) this requirement had been reduced to about 90 kg ha-1 P. The third year P yield data were used to show that the value of applied P declined by about 70 per cent each year. After three years all the applied P was recovered in the 0-60 cm zone and the distribution was not affected by timing of application. In the 0-10 cm zone the acid extractable P increased from 0 with no P applied to 40 p.p.m. with 150 kg ha-1 P applied.


Soil Research ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Gilkes ◽  
B Palmer

Calcination of Christmas Island C-grade ore at temperatures up to 1050�C produces phosphorus fertilizers that differ greatly in effectiveness as determined by citrate extraction and plant growth. Maximum effectiveness is obtained by calcination at temperatures between 500� and 650�C, and is best predicted by extractions of between 1 and 3 h duration in neutral ammonium citrate. Alkaline ammonium citrate and citric acid are poorer indicators of phosphorus availability. The mineralogical and chemical properties of the calcines may be used to explain variations in amounts of citrate soluble phosphorus for different temperatures of calcination. Incubation of moist 500�C calcined C-grade ore induces recrystallization (i.e. reversion) of some crandallite, resulting in a decrease in the solubility of phosphorus in neutral ammonium citrate and its availability to plants.


1974 ◽  
Vol 14 (70) ◽  
pp. 649 ◽  
Author(s):  
AM Alston ◽  
KW Chin

Samples of Christmas Island and Florida rock phosphates with different particle size ranges were applied to a phosphorus-deficient acid sandy soil. The rock phosphates were compared with monocalcium phosphate at various levels of addition of phosphorus. The fertilizers were mixed uniformly with either the top 1, 5, or 10 cm of the soil. Dry matter yield and phosphorus uptake in the tops of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) and the distribution (by weight) of the roots in the soil were determined. Monocalcium phosphate produced higher dry matter yields (tops and roots) than rock phosphates, even when the latter were applied in amounts containing four times the amount of phosphorus added as monocalcium phosphate. The concentration and uptake of phosphorus in the tops was also higher when monocalcium phosphate was applied, although the difference in concentration decreased as the plants matured. Dry matter yield and phosphorus concentration in the clover tops were increased by increasing the fineness of grinding of rock phosphate and by increasing the depth of mixing with the soil. Increasing the depth of mixing also produced a greater weight and more even distribution of roots. The yield of tops and roots was unaffected by the depth to which monocalcium phosphate was mixed, although shallow placement concentrated the distribution of the roots near the soil surface. Florida rock phosphate was a better source of phosphorus for subterranean clover than Christmas Island rock when the samples were coarsely ground, but both rocks were equally effective when ground to give 70 per cent < 100 mesh B.S.S.


1967 ◽  
Vol 7 (24) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
LJ Phillips ◽  
MJT Norman

In an experiment on Tippera clay loam soil at Katherine, N.T., between 1962 and 1965, a comparison was made of the effect of depth of placement of initial applications of superphosphate and Christmas Island rock phosphate dust on the yield of grain sorghum for the first three years of cropping on new land. Placement of 4 cwt an acre superphosphate or 12 cwt an acre rock phosphate in a layer at 8 inches depth gave lower grain, dry matter, and phosphorus yields than mixing the same amount and type of fertilizer in the 0-4 inch or 0-8 inch layers. There were no significant differences in grain, dry matter, or phosphorus yield between mixing in the 0-4 or 0-8 inch layers. Additional annual applications of 4 cwt an acre superphosphate banded with the seed increased grain and dry matter yield when the initial phosphate fertilizer was placed in a layer at 8 inches, but not when it was mixed in the 0-4 or 0-8 inch layers.


1960 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-61
Author(s):  
Armi Kaila ◽  
Pentti Hänninen

The results of two field trials in which the efficiency of superphosphate phosphorus and rock phosphate (Hyperphosphate Reno) phosphorus were compared on a fine sand soil and a humus soil, did not show any differences in the dry matter yields produced by the two fertilizers within the experimental period including the nurse crop and three years of ley. The analyses of the hay yields harvested from the third year red clover-timothy ley, fairly poor in red clover, proved that the phosphorus content of the hay from the hyperphosphate plots was markedly lower than that of the hay from the superphosphate plots. The respective figures were 0.17 and 0.21 per cent P of dry matter, while the phosphorus content of the hay from the untreated plots was 0.15—0.16 per cent. Red clover seemed to be able to synthesize plant material equally rich in phosphorus both when feeding on superphosphate and when feeding on hyperphosphate. On the other hand, the grasses, in these cases mainly timothy, took up far less phosphorus from hyperphosphate than from superphosphate. The differences in the phosphorus content of the respective plant groups were almost exclusively due to differences in their content of inorganic phosphorus, or phosphorus determined as inorganic forms by the simple fractionation procedure employed. No effect of the different phosphate treatments on the content of ash, calcium, potassium, or nitrogen in the ley plants could be detected. The results of the present study corroborate the earlier observation that on a ley, poor in clover, rock phosphate may produce crops too low in phosphorus for the needs of domestic animals. The results also emphasize that it is important not to judge the response to phosphate fertilizers only on the basis of the dry matter yields.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-158
Author(s):  
Huck Ywih Ch’ng ◽  
Syajariah Sanusi ◽  
Suhaimi Bin Othman

AbstractPhosphorus (P) fixation is very common in Malaysian acid soils due to the fixation of soluble inorganic P by Al and Fe under acidic soil pH conditions. Farmers tend to perform lots of liming and apply excess amount of P fertilizers in order to saturate the Al and Fe in the soil so that the plants are able to absorb the remaining P. Excessive liming and application of P fertilizers are not only not economical but also not environmentally friendly. Compost with a large surface area and pool of negative charges could be used to reduce P fixation in acidic soil. Hence, this study was carried out to assess the effect of amending Christmas Island rock phosphate (CIRP) with rice straw (RS) compost in improving soil P availability, nutrient uptake, and dry matter production of maize cultivated on a Malaysian tropical acid soil. A pot experiment was carried out in this study with the use of maize (FI hybrid sweet corn 801) as a test crop. The chemical properties of soils applied with RS compost were significantly improved (P ≤ 0.05) compared to treatments without RS compost. As the soil pH increased, there was significant reduction in exchangeable acidity, Al and Fe in soil due to exchangeable Al and Fe were fixed with negatively charged functional groups of RS compost’s surfaces, thus increased the P availability and exchangeable cations in the soil applied with RS compost. There was also significantly higher N, P, and K uptake in leaf, stem, and root of maize in the treatments applied with RS compost. Application of CIRP with RS compost was found to increase the soil P availability, maize nutrient uptake, and dry matter production at the end of the pot experiment. An application rate of 15–20 t ha−1 of RS compost together with 130 kg ha−1 urea, 200 kg ha−1 CIRP, and 67 kg ha−1 muriate of potash is recommended to improve the soil NPK contents and growth of Zea mays in acidic soil.


1979 ◽  
Vol 19 (100) ◽  
pp. 605 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Palmer ◽  
MDA Bolland ◽  
RJ Gilkes

The influence of calcination temperatures up to 1050�C on the effectiveness of Christmas Island C-grade ore was determined in glasshouse trials with wheat. All calcines were capable of supporting the same maximum yield. Maximum effectiveness, equivalent to one-third that of superphosphate, occurred for calcination temperatures between 450�C and 600�C. Re-evaluation of the results of other workers indicated that a similar value for relative effectiveness applies to their work on a variety of species.


1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
MDA Bolland ◽  
AJ Weatherley ◽  
RJ Gilkes

The residual values of granular reactive rock phosphate (highly carbonate-substituted apatite from North Carolina, USA.), partially powdered low-reactive Queensland rock phosphate (low carbonate-substituted apatite from the Duchess deposit), and granular triple superphosphate were measured in 3 experiments on different lateritic soils in different climatic regions of south-western Australia (Gibson, South Bodallin, West Dale). Finely powdered calcined crandallite-millisite rock phosphate from Christmas Island (Calciphos) was included in one of the experiments. The fertilisers were applied once only in May 1984 and their residual value measured over 3 years (1984-1986) using yield and phosphorus content of the following species each year: experiment 1 (Gibson), barley in years 1 and 2 and oats in the third year; experiment 2 (South Bodallin), triticale in all 3 years; experiment 3 (West Dale), subterranean clover in years I and 2 followed by oats in year 3. Relative to triple superphosphate (TSP) applied each year, the effectiveness of superphosphate in year 1 (year of application) in the experiment at Gibson decreased by about 40% between years 1 and 2, and by a further 5% between years 2 and 3. The corresponding values for the experiment at South Bodallin were 75% and 5%, and at West Dale 50% and 25%. All rock phosphates were much less effective than TSP in year 1, being 5-30% as effective as TSP. Effectiveness of rock phosphates remained low over the 3 years, being 5-20% as effective as newly applied TSP. Although the effectiveness of TSP decreased, it continued to be 50% as effective as newly applied TSP after 3 years. Residual TSP and both freshly applied and residual rock phosphates did not support the same maximum yield as freshly applied TSP despite well defined yield plateaux being obtained in each case. At each harvest, the relationship between yield and phosphorus content of plants was similar for all fertilisers so that the smaller maximum DM and grain yield and reduced effectiveness of the rock phosphates were largely due to less phosphorus being taken up by plants.


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