Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 41:2109–2121, 2010

Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

ISSN: 0010-3624 print / 1532-2416 online
DOI: 10.1080/00103624.2010.498540

Effects of Natural Fallow and Pig Slurry Drip

Irrigation on Phosphorus Accumulation
and Fractionation in a Coastal Saline Soil

SHENGDAO SHAN AND ZHAOLIANG SONG

School of Environmental Sciences and Technology, Zhejiang A&F University,
Lin’an, Zhejiang, China

Organic inputs are believed to be able to increase soil phosphorus (P) availability.
Natural fallow and pig slurry amendments are the two important organic inputs for
agricultural soils. The purposes of the study are to investigate P accumulation and to
compare the differences of P fractionation patterns as affected by natural fallow and
pig slurry drip irrigation in a coastal saline soil. The study showed that P accumula-
tion occurred mainly in upper soil profiles and that natural fallow or pig slurry drip
irrigation alone would not significantly influence total P distribution in soil profiles.
However, soil P fractionation demonstrated that, from bottom to top, bioavailable P
content and percentage increased whereas residual P percentage declined. The per-
centage of extractable inorganic P was almost twice as much as that of extractable
organic P. In comparison with natural fallow conditions, under pig slurry drip-irriga-
tion conditions, the transformation efficiency of superphosphate fertilizer HCl Pi into
residual P was lower whereas the transformation efficiency of superphosphate fertilizer
HCl Pi into bioavailable P was higher. The higher bioavailable P percentage and lower
average Corg /P ratio in a long-term pig slurry drip-irrigation plot than those in other
plots indicated that long-term pig slurry drip-irrigation was more efficient in improving
soil P availability than natural fallow and short-term pig slurry drip irrigation.

Keywords Accumulation, fractionation, natural fallow, P, pig slurry, saline soil

Introduction
Phosphorus (P) deficiency is frequently reported in some agricultural soils under con-
tinuous and intensive crop production and in other soils less affected by anthropogenic
activities (such as calcareous soils) throughout the world (Selles et al. 1997; Lilienfein et al.
2000; Solomon et al. 2002; Zhao et al. 2002; Saleque et al. 2004; Shen et al. 2004; Song et
al. 2008b). To overcome P deficiency, inorganic and organic fertilizers are widely applied
in continuous and intensive crop production systems. However, added P from fertilizers
during crop production can accumulate in soil and increase P movement to surface waters,
thus causing eutrophication (Sharpley et al. 1994; Motavalli and Miles 2002). Therefore,
it is of great importance to carry out soil P fractionation studies under different conditions
with sequential extraction schemes such as the Hedley procedure (Hedley, Stewart, and
Chauhan 1982) and its modifications (Zhang and MacKenzie 1997; Agbenin and Goladi
Received 9 February 2009; accepted 12 January 2010.
Address correspondence to Zhaoliang Song, School of Environmental Sciences and Technology,
Zhejiang A&F University, No. 88 North Huancheng Road, Lin’an, Zhejiang, 311300, China.
E-mail: songzhaoliang78@163.com or songzl@zjfc.edu.cn

2109
2110 S. Shan and Z. Song

1998; Guo et al. 2000; Buehler et al. 2002) to improve our understanding of P availability
in soils.
It is believed that organic inputs can increase soil P availability (Iyamuremye and
Dick 1996; Phiri et al. 2001; Jie et al. 2005) as organic anions formed by decomposing
organic matter (OM) can compete with P for the same adsorption sites and thereby increase
P availability in soil (Iyamuremye, Dick, and Baham 1996; Phiri et al. 2001). Furthermore,
OM also contains P, which can be released after OM is decomposed (Iyamuremye and
Dick 1996; Motavalli and Miles 2002; Saleque et al. 2004).
An important organic input is natural fallow, which has traditionally been used to over-
come soil fertility depletion and disease resulting from continuous cropping (Magid 1993;
Phiri et al. 2001). In recent years, long-term fallows (6–12 years), which are needed for
adequate soil fertility recovery, have been replaced by shorter fallows (3–6 years) because
of pressure from increasing population and competing land-use demands. However, short-
term natural, unmanaged fallows are normally not sufficient to restore soil fertility (Phiri
et al. 2001).
Livestock and aquaculture waste application is another important organic input for
agricultural soils (Motavalli and Miles 2002; Wu, Zhang, and Cao 2007). These wastes
usually contain significant amounts of OM and nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and P. For
example, pig slurry usually contains 1.2–1.8 g L−1 OM, 0.8–1.1 g L−1 total N (TN), and
36–94 mg L−1 total P (TP) and can be a potential nutrient source for water environments
if not beneficially used for crop production (Wu, Zhang, and Cao 2007). By using modern
drip-irrigation technology, pig slurry can be a potential organic fertilizer and pesticide ben-
eficial to crop growth and disease prevention (Song et al. 2008a). Therefore, the pig slurry
drip-irrigation technology has been applied in some developed areas for crop production,
especially for watermelon production (Song et al. 2008a).
Symptoms presently regarded as salt injury in saline soils are observed on many kinds
of plants such as barley and oats and are associated with phosphate deficiency as a result
of low P solubility in these soils (Fine and Carson 1954). However, detailed studies on P
fractionation in saline soils and its relationship with management practices such as natural
fallow and pig slurry drip irrigation have rarely been reported. The purposes of this study
are to investigate P accumulation in a coastal saline soil and to compare the differences of
P fractionation patterns affected by natural fallow and pig slurry drip irrigation in a coastal
saline soil.

Materials and Methods

A field experiment with watermelon was carried out to examine P contents and fractions in
response to natural fallow and pig slurry drip irrigation in a coastal saline soil during 2004–
2007. The trial site is located at the Ninghai Agricultural Circular Economy Demonstration
Park, Zhejiang, eastern China. The climate in the region is subtropical, controlled by the
East Asian monsoon climate. The annual average temperature in the region ranged from 15
to 17 ◦ C. Annual rainfall was between 1000 and 1600 mm. The annual mean sunshine was
approximately 1900 h. The soil type at the field site was classified as a coastal saline soil.
The plots had been fertilized with superphosphate before the experiment. The experiment
had four treatments (three replicates) including natural fallow for more than 3 years (plot
0) after watermelon production, 1 year of pig slurry drip irrigation with watermelon growth
(plot 1), 2 years of pig slurry drip irrigation with watermelon growth (plot 2), and more
than 3 years of pig slurry drip irrigation with watermelon growth (plot 3). For plots 1, 2,
and 3, pig slurry was drip irrigated throughout of the growing season of watermelon. Based
 Phosphorus Fractionation in Saline Soil 2111

on analyses, pig slurry applied to the plots had a pH of 8.10 ± 0.50, 1.1 ± 0.3 g L−1 total
OM, 0.9 ± 0.3 g L−1 total TN, and 37 ± 10 mg L−1 TP.

Soil Sampling and Treatment

Plant litter on the soil surface was gently removed, and soil samples from each pro-
file were horizontally collected to a depth of 50 to 65 cm according to differences of
groundwater levels. The samples were air dried and crushed to pass a 2-mm sieve after
removing visible stones, roots, and crop residues. Subsamples were further ground to pass
a 100-mesh sieve and were used for subsequent physical and chemical analysis and P
fractionation.

Physical and Chemical Analysis

Soil pH was determined in 1:2.5 soil/water suspension with a pH meter. Organic car-
bon (Corg ) was determined using a wet-oxidation method with dipotassium chromate
(K2 Cr2 O7 ) and concentrated sulfuric acid (H2 SO4 ) (Nelson and Sommers 1982). Soil
organic matter (SOM) was calculated from Corg data (Nelson and Sommers 1982). Soil
samples were fused with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in a 650 ◦ C nickel crucible and
determined colorimetrically by the molybdate–ascorbic acid method after neutralization
with dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl) for silicon oxide (SiO2 ) and TP (Murphy and Riley
1962).

Phosphorus Fractionation
Soil samples of 0.75 g each were sequentially separated into water-soluble P (water Pi and
Po ), bicarbonate P (bicarbonate Pi and Po ), hydroxide-1 P (NaOH-1 Pi and Po ), HCl Pi ,
hydroxide-2 P (NaOH-2 Pi and Po ), and residual P using a modified sequential extraction
procedure of Zhang and MacKenzie (1997) (Table 1). The final residue from the sequential
extractions was decanted and fused with NaOH in a 650 ◦ C nickel crucible instead of
H2 SO4 -H2 O2 digestion to get good agreement with the testing method of soil TP. A portion
of each extract was pipetted into a 30-mL centrifuge tube and centrifuged at 16,300g for 10
min at 0 ◦ C, and inorganic P (Pi ) was then determined colorimetrically with the molybdate–
ascorbic acid procedure (Murphy and Riley 1962). A portion of the extract was autoclaved
with sulfuric acid–persulfate at 103.4 kPa and 121 ◦ C for 1.0 h, and TP (Pi + Po ) was
determined with the same method of Pi determination. The difference between TP and Pi
was considered as Po .

Results and Discussion

Soil Parameters
The results of physical and chemical analyses of the soil samples are given in Table 2.
Generally, soil samples from all profiles were alkaline, and the pH values had a decreasing
trend from the bottom to the top of all soil profiles. However, in the case of profile S1,
the pH values reached a maximum of more than 8 at depths of 10 to 20 cm, probably as
a result of short-term pig slurry drip irrigation (less than 1 year). As a major component
2112 S. Shan and Z. Song

Table 1
Soil P fractions and their properties after Selles et al. (1997)
and Zhang and MacKenzie (1997)

Step P fraction Conditions Characteristics

1 Water Pi and Po
2 Bicarbonate Pi and -Po
3 NaOH-1 Pi and Po
4 HCl Pi
5 NaOH-2 Pi and Po
6 Residual P
Add 30 mL super clean
water to 0.75 g soil in
a 50-mL centrifuge
tube, shake 16 h,
centrifuge
Add 30 mL 0.5 mol L−1
NaHCO3 to the
residue from step 1,
shake 16 h, centrifuge
Add 30 mL 0.1 mol L−1
NaOH to the residue
from step 2, shake
16 h, centrifuge
Add 30 mL 1.0 mol L−1
HCl to the residue
from step 3, shake
16 h, centrifuge
Add 30 mL 0.1 mol L−1
NaOH to the residue
from step 4, shake
16 h, centrifuge
Decant the residue to a
nickel crucible, fuse
with NaOH at 650 ◦ C
Most bioavailable Pi and
Po directly
exchangeable with soil
solution
Labile Pi and Po sorbed
to soil surfaces
Pi and Po chemisorbed
to Fe and Al
compounds and Pi and
Po associated with
humic compounds
Relatively insoluble
Ca-bound Pi in
apatite-type minerals
and some occluded P
in weathered soils
Mainly Pi and Po
associated with humic
compounds
Most chemically stable
and insoluble forms of
Pi and Po

of soil, SiO2 content varied little in profiles S0 and S3 except for the surface soil samples,
increased slightly in profile S1, and decreased slightly in profile S2. The SOM content
increased significantly from the bottom to the top of all soil profiles and was slightly
higher in profile S0 than that in S1, S2, and S3. The TP content in the coastal saline soils
(715–1522 ppm, average 1056 ppm) was much greater than in natural coastal saline soils
(500 ppm), and critical deficiency values of TP (100 ppm) were recommended for forest-
arid soil in China (Zhao et al. 2002; Tang et al. 2007). The increase of TP appeared to
follow the same pattern as SOM in all soil profiles, and P content in profile S0 (average
1208) was slightly greater than in S1, S2, and S3 (average 966, 1051, and 1012, respec-
tively). The molar ratio of Corg /P varied slightly from 19.95 to 29.46 with an average of
26.40 in profiles S0 and S1 and varied significantly from 14.75 to 32.33 with an average
of 23.23 in profiles S2 and S3. Because a low Corg /P ratio indicates high P availability in
soils (Magid 1993; Phiri et al. 2001), the lower average Corg /P ratio in profiles S2 and S3
than in S0 and S1 implied that long-term pig slurry drip irrigation was more efficient in
improving soil P availability than natural fallow and short-term pig slurry drip irrigation.
 Phosphorus Fractionation in Saline Soil 2113

Table 2
Selected physical and chemical properties of the soils used in this study

SiO2 SOM P (Corg /P)

pH (g kg−1 ) (g kg−1 )d (mg kg−1 ) mol
e
Profile Depthb
numbera (cm) Mean SEc Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE
S0 50 7.79 0.05 585.7 10.8 14.7 0.3 927 18 23.7 0.6
45 7.72 0.07 597.7 7.5 16.0 0.3 1202 17 20.0 0.5
35 7.70 0.07 592.5 12.9 15.8 0.7 1129 22 21.0 1.0
25 7.36 0.05 586.5 13.7 25.5 0.5 1295 29 29.5 0.9
20 7.36 0.13 566.2 19.3 24.1 0.8 1228 38 29.4 1.4
10 7.33 0.09 597.3 21.8 27.1 1.3 1388 46 29.2 1.7
5 7.34 0.17 451.6 17.4 22.1 1.0 1291 34 25.6 1.3
S1 55 7.68 0.06 517.4 11.3 15.4 0.5 841 16 27.3 1.0
45 7.55 0.08 559.0 10.4 15.2 0.4 801 19 28.3 1.0
35 7.62 0.07 544.0 18.2 15.3 0.6 788 14 29.0 1.3
25 7.52 0.12 574.5 24.7 15.2 0.8 835 23 27.2 1.6
20 8.41 0.09 601.2 21.9 19.8 1.0 1152 31 25.7 1.4
10 8.01 0.11 654.2 26.6 24.3 0.7 1323 37 27.5 1.1
5 7.94 0.15 578.2 22.3 18.0 0.8 1024 28 26.2 1.4
S2 50 8.23 0.07 623.0 14.7 9.7 0.4 980 19 14.8 0.7
40 8.24 0.06 606.5 17.4 9.1 0.5 723 14 18.9 1.1
30 8.14 0.08 623.0 18.5 13.6 0.7 776 18 26.2 1.5
25 7.96 0.07 598.3 11.4 14.5 0.6 828 20 26.2 1.3
15 7.94 0.12 585.9 10.3 15.5 0.5 1033 25 22.5 0.9
10 7.90 0.09 561.1 12.8 21.4 0.9 1502 34 21.3 1.0
5 7.64 0.14 525.7 16.9 25.4 1.2 1522 43 25.0 1.3
S3 65 8.53 0.05 557.8 13.8 7.4 0.3 715 11 15.5 0.7
60 8.47 0.05 540.8 11.0 7.1 0.4 675 13 15.7 1.0
50 8.31 0.06 540.1 16.7 17.4 0.6 824 17 31.6 1.2
45 8.19 0.05 551.9 14.9 18.1 0.5 837 14 32.3 1.1
35 8.12 0.07 540.8 16.4 19.4 0.7 962 18 30.1 1.3
25 8.10 0.06 524.4 9.6 20.0 1.0 1283 27 23.3 1.2
15 8.13 0.08 573.5 18.5 15.4 0.8 1268 33 18.1 1.1
10 7.62 0.11 596.4 19.4 21.6 1.1 1497 26 21.6 1.1
5 7.95 0.09 570.2 17.1 20.0 0.9 1046 21 28.6 1.4
a
The profile S0 is the representative soil profile of natural fallow plot 0, whereas the profiles S1,
S2, and S3 are the representative soil profiles of 1-, 2-, and >3-year pig slurry drip-irrigated plots
(plots 1, 2, and 3), respectively. Three replicate profiles were sampled from each plot.
b
The depth of each horizon represents the vertical distance from soil surface to the middle location
of each soil sample whose thickness was about 3 cm.
c
SE values indicate standard errors of the mean (n = 3).
d
SOM, soil organic matter.
e
(Corg /P)mol , molar ratio of organic C and P.

Content Changes of Different P Fractions

Extractable Inorganic P Fractions. About four to six soil samples in each soil profile were
selected for the soil P fractionation study. The inorganic P fractions sequentially extracted
 Table 3
Distribution of P in various fractions according to the modified sequential extraction procedure of Zhang and MacKenzie (1997) in different plot profiles

Water NaHCO3 NaOH-1 HCl NaOH-2 P
Profile Depthb Pi c Po d Pi Po Pi Po Pi Pi Po Residual P fractions f
numbera (cm) Mean SEe Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE
S0 50 8.9 0.4 1.1 0.1 8.7 0.6 1.0 0.1 23.9 1.2 12.9 0.6 285 8.1 38.1 1.0 177 7.5 273 13.8 829 17.8
35 5.1 0.3 2.2 0.2 20.2 1.1 12.7 0.6 45.4 1.7 34.0 1.3 327 11.6 39.3 0.9 254 9.4 315 17.1 1054 22.9
20 15.8 0.7 2.5 0.2 43.4 2.4 8.8 0.6 80.3 3.4 73.5 4.4 418 16.5 57.9 2.5 200 9.7 405 16.9 1305 26.4
5 12.7 0.7 3.8 0.3 52.9 3.7 16.1 1.1 69.3 3.2 39.6 1.9 377 13.8 57.9 2.2 200 9.2 343 10.4 1173 20.4
S1 55 5.5 0.2 0.6 0.1 4.1 0.4 0.7 0.1 31.1 1.3 11.2 0.5 267 6.7 19.5 0.7 180 8.2 261 9.7 780 14.5
35 6.2 0.4 0.7 0.1 7.9 0.6 3.5 0.2 16.4 1.0 17.3 1.1 276 6.2 34.4 1.4 196 8.9 221 8.8 780 14.1
20 21.9 1.2 7.7 0.2 57.9 2.9 14.4 1.5 42.5 1.8 25.3 1.6 411 13.8 46.4 2.1 212 11.3 385 11.6 1224 21.8
5 18.8 0.8 7.2 0.3 84.2 4.4 31.2 1.8 45.5 1.7 26.7 2.2 368 11.1 41.0 1.6 202 10.0 322 12.3 1146 20.2
S2 50 7.2 0.5 0.6 0.1 3.4 0.2 2.3 0.2 34.2 1.1 12.1 0.7 324 14.2 29.5 1.2 246 13.7 299 10.4 959 22.4

2114
30 8.6 0.5 0.3 0.1 7.9 0.5 0.3 0.1 17.5 0.6 14.4 0.8 281 9.7 34.4 1.4 257 11.8 169 7.1 789 16.9
15 11.3 0.9 4.2 0.3 33.8 1.9 1.9 0.1 52.3 2.2 29.3 1.3 316 12.4 36.0 1.4 207 9.5 359 17.0 1051 23.4
5 21.9 1.5 9.6 0.3 149 5.2 56.2 3.2 64.8 2.9 35.7 2.9 613 22.3 67.0 2.5 256 10.2 270 11.7 1543 28.3
S3 65 4.5 0.2 0.6 0.1 3.0 0.3 2.3 0.1 8.8 0.5 15.9 0.8 279 8.3 25.3 0.8 198 8.4 273 12.5 811 17.2
50 4.5 0.3 0.6 0.1 4.5 0.3 2.4 0.3 17.5 1.1 18.0 0.8 269 8.6 38.5 1.1 199 9.3 309 15.2 863 19.9
35 4.5 0.2 4.7 0.4 12.8 0.9 1.4 0.1 30.7 1.9 17.7 0.6 322 14.2 41.8 1.7 205 12.6 340 19.3 981 27.2
15 14.4 0.8 6.6 0.6 60.9 1.2 41.1 1.0 45.9 2.8 27.7 1.7 421 17.1 49.3 2.2 208 13.7 334 16.4 1209 27.7
10 32.2 1.9 13.9 0.9 109 5.3 30.5 1.1 65.2 3.5 38.4 2.2 520 23.4 60.0 3.4 195 11.9 300 10.6 1366 29.4
5 23.3 1.6 8.2 0.5 89.5 2.8 45.0 1.3 54.2 3.4 31.9 2.0 387 19.8 56.7 2.9 185 8.8 199 7.3 1080 23.6
a,b,e
see Table 2.
c
Pi , inorganic P.
d
Po , organic P.
f
P fractions, the sum of all P fractions.
 Phosphorus Fractionation in Saline Soil 2115

by water, NaHCO3 , NaOH-1, HCl, and NaOH-2 in soil profiles are shown in Table 3 and
Figure 1. Both water Pi and NaHCO3 Pi contents increased dramatically from the bottom
to the top of all soil profiles, and their values in profiles S1, S2, and S3 were slightly greater
than those in profile 0, as is especially the case for the middle-upper part of soil profiles,
implying that pig slurry drip irrigation is more efficient in enhancing water Pi and NaHCO3
Pi contents than natural fallow. The NaOH-1 Pi content had similar increasing trends with
water Pi and NaHCO3 Pi contents, but the NaOH-1 Pi values in profiles S1, S2, and S3
were generally less than those in profile S0, a trend similar to that of TP. Both HCl Pi

Water-Pi (ppm) HCl-Pi (ppm)

0 10 20 30 40 0 200 400 600 800
0 0
d
a
20 20
Depth (cm)
Depth (cm)

40 40

60 60
S0 S1 S0 S1
S2 S3 S2 S3
80 80

NaHCO3-Pi (ppm) NaOH-2-Pi (ppm)

0 50 100 150 200 0 20 40 60 80
0 0
b e
20 20
Depth (cm)
Depth (cm)

40 40

60 60
S0 S1 S0 S1
S2 S3 S2 S3
80 80
NaOH-1-Pi (ppm)
0 20 40 60 80 100
0
c
20
Depth (cm)

40

60
S0 S1
S2 S3
80

Figure 1. Changes of average extractable inorganic P in soil profiles. The profile S0 is the represen-
tative soil profile of natural fallow plot 0, whereas the profiles S1, S2, and S3 are the representative
soil profiles of 1-, 2-, and >3-year pig slurry drip-irrigated plots (plots 1, 2, and 3), respectively.
Three replicate profiles were sampled from each plot. Data are from Table 3.
2116 S. Shan and Z. Song

and NaOH-2 Pi contents increased from the bottom to the top of all soil profiles, but their
content differences between S0 and other profiles were not obvious.

Extractable Organic P Fractions. The organic P fractions sequentially extracted by water,

NaHCO3 , NaOH-1, and NaOH-2 in soil profiles are reported in Table 3 and Figure 2.
Both water Po and NaHCO3 Po contents increased slightly from the bottom to the top
of all soil profiles, but the increasing trend in profiles S1, S2, and S3 was much more
obvious than that in profile S0, implying that pig slurry drip irrigation has greater effi-
ciency in improving water Po and NaHCO3 Po contents than natural fallow. NaOH-1 Po
content increased slightly from the bottom to the top of profiles S1, S2, and S3, while
increasing dramatically in the mid-lower part and declining dramatically in the upper
part of profile S0. NaOH-2 Po content increased in the mid-lower part and declined in
the upper part of profiles S1 and S3, whereas the trends for profiles S0 and S2 were not
obvious.

Residual P Fraction. Changes of residual P in soil profiles showed two contrasting patterns
(Table 3 and Figure 3). Residual P increased in the mid-lower part and declined in the upper
part of profiles S0 and S3, whereas the trends for profile S1 and S2 were not so obvious.

Water-Po (ppm) NaOH-1-Po (ppm)

0 5 10 15 0 20 40 60 80
0 0
a c

20 20
Depth (cm)

Depth (cm)

40 40

60 60
S0 S1 S0 S1
S2 S3 S2 S3
80 80
NaHCO3-Po (ppm) NaOH-2-Po (ppm)
0 20 40 60 150 200 250 300
0 0
b d

20 20
Depth (cm)

Depth (cm)

40 40

60 60
S0 S1 S0 S1
S2 S3 S2 S3
80 80

Figure 2. Changes of average extractable organic P in soil profiles. The profile S0 is the representa-
tive soil profile of natural fallow plot 0, whereas the profiles S1, S2, and S3 are the representative soil
profiles of 1-, 2-, and >3-year pig slurry drip-irrigated plots (plots 1, 2, and 3), respectively. Three
replicate profiles were sampled from each plot. Data are from Table 3.
 Phosphorus Fractionation in Saline Soil 2117

Residual-P (ppm)
100 200 300 400 500
0

20

Depth (cm)
40

60
S0 S1
S2 S3
80

Figure 3. Changes of average residual P in soil profiles. The profile S0 is the representative soil
profile of natural fallow plot 0, whereas the profiles S1, S2, and S3 are the representative soil profiles
of 1-, 2-, and >3-year pig slurry drip-irrigated plots (plots 1, 2, and 3), respectively. Three replicate
profiles were sampled from each plot. Data are from Table 3.

Ratio Changes of Different P Fractions

The fractionation pattern of P for all soil profiles using the modified sequential extraction
procedure of Zhang and MacKenzie (1997) is expressed as a percentage of TP and shown
in Figure 4. Generally, major P fractions were HCl Pi (30–40%, average 34%), residual P
(17–36%, average 29%), and NaOH-2 Po (14–33%, average 21%), followed by NaOH-1

Figure 4. Changes of average P fraction percentages in soil profiles. The profile S0 is the represen-
tative soil profile of natural fallow plot 0, whereas the profiles S1, S2, and S3 are the representative
soil profiles of 1-, 2-, and >3-year pig slurry drip-irrigated plots (plots 1, 2, and 3), respectively.
Three replicate profiles were sampled from each plot. Data are from Table 3.
2118 S. Shan and Z. Song

Pi , NaOH-1 Po , and NaOH-2 Pi . The percentage of extractable inorganic P (the sum of

water Pi , NaHCO3 Pi , NaOH-1 Pi , HCl Pi , and NaOH-2 Pi ; 39–59%, average 46%) was
almost twice as much as that of extractable organic P (the sum of water Po , NaHCO3 Po ,
NaOH-1 Po , and NaOH-2 Po ; 20–34%, average 25%). The percentages of residual P and
NaOH-2 Po declined, whereas the percentage of bioavailable P (traditionally considered as
the sum of water Pi , water Po , NaHCO3 Pi , and NaHCO3 Po ) increased from the bottom to
the top of all soil profiles. However, fractionation pattern varied slightly among different
profiles.
In profile S0, the soil samples existed mainly as HCl Pi (average 32.4%) and residual
P (average 30.8%), and the percentages of HCl Pi and residual P showed little variation.
The percentage of NaOH-2 Po varied from 15% to 24%, with an average of 19.4%. The
percentages of NaOH-1 Pi , NaOH-1 Po , and NaOH-2 Pi in profile S0 were slightly greater,
and bioavailable P was lower, than those in other profiles.
In profile S1, the percentage of HCl Pi and residual P declined slightly from the bot-
tom to the top of the profile (average 33.9% and 30.4%). The percentages of NaOH-2 Po
(average 20.9%) and bioavailable P (average 6.1%) were slightly greater than those in pro-
file S0 (average 19.4% and 4.7%, respectively). The percentages of HCl Pi and NaOH-2 Po
in profile S2 were much greater, and residual P was lower, than those in other profiles. The
percentage of bioavailable P (average 6.1%) in profile S3 was much greater, and NaOH-1
Pi was lower, than those in other profiles, indicating that long-term pig slurry drip irriga-
tion was more efficient in improving soil P availability than natural fallow and short-term
pig slurry drip irrigation.

Accumulation and Transformation of P in Soil Profiles

There was much greater TP content in the studied coastal saline soil than that in natural
coastal saline soil and critical deficiency values of TP recommended for forest arid soil
in China, and the increasing trend of TP from the bottom to the top of all soil profiles
(Table 2) indicated that the distribution of TP was deeply influenced by superphosphate
fertilization + natural fallow or superphosphate fertilization + pig slurry drip irrigation,
and the accumulation of P mainly occurred in the upper part of soil profiles because of
a lack of enough time for P leaching. However, the lack of obvious difference of TP dis-
tribution among profiles S0, S1, S2, and S3 implied that short-term natural fallow or pig
slurry drip irrigation alone without superphosphate fertilization would not influence TP
distribution in soil profiles significantly.
Although the organic inputs did not increase TP content significantly, they increased
P availability in P-fixing soils (Iyamuremye and Dick 1996; Phiri et al. 2001; Jie et al.
2005) as organic anions formed by decomposing organic matter can compete with P for
the same adsorption sites and thereby increase P availability in soils (Iyamuremye, Dick,
and Baham 1996; Phiri et al. 2001). The high ratio of extractable organic P (the sum of
water Po , NaHCO3 Po , NaOH-1 Po , and NaOH-2 Po ; Figure 4), little variation of (Corg /P)
mol (Table 2), and good correlation of TP and SOM in all soil profiles (Figure 5) indicated
that natural fallow and pig slurry drip irrigation, the two most important organic input
methods in the study, might influence fractionation and transformation behavior of P in
soil profiles.
Under natural fallow conditions, the high TP content, high percentages of residual P,
and low percentages of HCl Pi and bioavailable P (the sum of water Pi , water Po , NaHCO3
Pi , and NaHCO3 Po ) in soil profile S0 indicated that a significant amount of added P
 Phosphorus Fractionation in Saline Soil 2119

2000

1500

P content(ppm)
1000
S0
S1
500 S2
S3

0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
SOM (wt%)

Figure 5. Correlation of total P and SOM in soil profiles. The profile S0 is the representative soil
profile of natural fallow plot 0, whereas the profiles S1, S2, and S3 are the representative soil profiles
of 1-, 2-, and >3-year pig slurry drip-irrigated plots (plots 1, 2, and 3), respectively. Three replicate
profiles were sampled from each plot. Data are from Table 2.

initially existed as HCl Pi from fertilizers such as superphosphate was transformed into
residual P, and the transformation efficiency from HCl Pi to bioavailable P was low.
By contrast, under pig slurry drip-irrigation conditions, the transformation efficiency
of superphosphate fertilizer HCl Pi into residual P was less, whereas the transformation
efficiency of superphosphate fertilizer HCl Pi into bioavailable P was greater, in soil pro-
files S1, S2, and S3. The bioavailable P percentage in profile S3 was much greater than that
in other profiles. The greater bioavailable P percentage and lower average Corg /P ratio in
profile S3 than those in other profiles indicated that long-term pig slurry drip irrigation was
more efficient in improving soil P availability than other practices such as natural fallow
and short-term pig slurry drip irrigation.

Conclusions
Property and TP analyses of soil profiles from a plot treated with superphosphate fertiliza-
tion + natural fallow and three plots treated with superphosphate fertilization + pig slurry
drip irrigation showed that P accumulation mainly occurred in the upper part of profiles as
a result of time for P leaching and that short-term natural fallow or pig slurry drip irrigation
alone would not obviously influence vertical leaching of P along profiles. However, P frac-
tionation of the soil profiles demonstrated that from bottom to top of profiles, the contents
and percentages of bioavailable P (traditionally considered as the sum of water Pi , water Po ,
NaHCO3 Pi , and NaHCO3 Po ) increased, whereas the percentage of residual P declined. It
also demonstrated that the percentage of extractable inorganic P was almost twice as much
as that of extractable organic P. In comparison with natural fallow conditions, under pig
slurry drip-irrigation conditions, the transformation efficiency of superphosphate fertilizer
HCl Pi into residual P was lower, whereas the transformation efficiency of superphosphate
fertilizer HCl Pi into bioavailable P was greater. The greater bioavailable P percentage
and lower average Corg /P ratio in long-term pig slurry drip-irrigation plots (more than
3 years of pig slurry drip irrigation) than those in other plots (natural fallow or less than
2 years pig slurry drip irrigation) indicated that long-term pig slurry drip irrigation was
2120 S. Shan and Z. Song

more efficient in improving soil P availability than natural fallow and short-term pig slurry
drip irrigation.

Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge the Zhejiang Provincial Major Technologies Research and
Development Program (Grant No. 2006C13036), Zhejiang Provincial Major Bidding
Program (Grant No. 06ZDZB15ZD), National High-Tech Research and Development
Program of China (863 Program, Grant No. 2006AA06Z344), and Zhejiang Provincial
Natural Science Foundation Program (Grant No. Z5080203 and Y5080110) for support of
this work.

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