Phosphorus in soil

The following conclusions have been drawn from numerous phosphate fertiliser experiments:

The absorption of phosphate fertiliser by crops planted immediately after application is low,

Typically, 10 to 30% of the phosphorus from 100% fertiliser is immediately available.

The loss of applied phosphorus with running water is very low.

When spreading over the soil surface, most of the phosphorus that is not incorporated into the crop remains in the first 2-3 centimetres of soil. Ploughing in the soil allows for a deeper incorporation of phosphorus, but is not recommended due to phosphorus binding.

Phosphorus remains available to plants for several years.

In many soils, the total phosphorus content increases with decreasing soil particle size.

Harvesting and removal of crops leads to depletion of phosphorus in the soil.