Chemical retardation of phosphate diffusion in simulated acid soil amended with lignosulfonate
The availability and movement of inorganic phosphate fertilizer is usually low due to precipitation and adsorption reactions in soil. Lignosulfonate (LS), which is produced from acid sulfite pulping processes, has similar characteristics to soil organic materials. An experiment was designed to study the effects of LS on P movement in a simulated acid soil containing aluminum-saturated cation exchange resin and acid-washed fine sand. The resulting simulated soil had a cation exchange capacity of 22 cmolc kg−1 and either no or 10 g kg−1 gibbsite. Movement of surface-applied monopotassium phosphate was studied in soil columns, either with 20 g kg−1 LS or without LS. Lignosulfonate reduced phosphate fixation and sustained a higher water extractable phosphate concentration near the surface of the columns, but had no effect on downward phosphate movement in the columns with gibbsite. Lignosulfonate reduced the solution concentration of P near the surface and reduced downward phosphate movement in the columns without gibbsite. The resin-sand column with gibbsite closely reflected an acid soil, and this research showed that adding LS would increase fertilizer P availability in a gibbsite-rich acid soil. Adding Ca-LS to Al-rich soil is beneficial for another reason, improving Ca nutrition, which is poor for these soils. Key words: Chemical retardation, phosphate diffusion, lignosulfonate amendment