Impact of Phosphorus Fertilizer Forms on Nutrition of Wheat, Pea and Canola, Soil Fate and Losses in Run-Off Water
Term: 3 years, beginning in 2021
Status: Ongoing
Funding Amount: $91,320
Lead Researcher(s): Dr. Jeff Schoenau (University of Saskatchewan)
Funding Partners: Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SCDC), Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG), and Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF)
Project Description
This project will generate information on how P fertilizer source (form) and its interaction with placement and rate influences yield, fertilizer P recovery and use efficiency in a cereal-pulse-oilseed rotation. This study will also analyze the potential loss of soluble reactive phosphate off-site in spring snowmelt runoff in contrasting soils, and its relationship to the forms of P that accumulate in the soil and water.
There is limited information on how different P fertilizer forms may behave as available P sources for crops when added to prairie soils, and no information on how they relate to P export off-site in comparison to conventional mono-ammonium phosphate. Also, the interaction between P fertilizer form and placement is not well documented. Thus, the proposed research work will address these gaps by comparing seven different forms of phosphorus along with the uncoated in broadcast and banded placement methods. Yield, crop P uptake, soil residual labile P, and dissolved reactive P (DRP) in simulated snowmelt run-off /leachate will be assessed. A combination of chemical and spectroscopic techniques will be used to investigate the fate of the fertilizer P in soil.
Fertilizer P management is currently relevant and of interest to prairie producers, as identifying the most effective sources and placement methods can improve efficiency, return on investment, and reduce losses to the environment.
The work will support and promote the general fertilizer management practices used by prairie growers to progress from basic to advanced 4R nutrient stewardship practices promoted by industry (e.g., Fertilizer Canada) and government, and help increase overall adoption of 4R fertilizer P management practices by prairie growers.