Interactions of Phosphatic Fertilizers and Organic Matter under Different Incubation Periods for Enhancement of Phosphorous Availability in Soil

A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to determine the enhancement in phosphorus availability in combination with organic matter and phosphatic fertilizers.

A factorial experiment was designed with a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications and three factors to evaluate the phosphorus availability at three incubation periods of 15, 33 and 60 days, respectively. The first factor is mono potassium phosphate fertilizer (KH₂PO₄) at four levels (0, 10, 20, 30) mg P kg^-1 soil and the second factor are two types of organic matter (OM), sheep and poultry manure and the third factor is organic matter levels (0, 1, 2%).

The results showed a significant increase in the average of available phosphorus levels (28.07, 29.02 and 29.67) mg P kg^-1 for P3 level at 15, 33 and 60 days, respectively. Results showed that poultry manure was significantly superior (21.62, 22.56 and 23.54 mg P kg^-1) compared to sheep manure (15.92, 16.59 and 17.35 mg P kg^-1) at all incubation periods, 15, 33 and 60 days, respectively. The level (2%) of organic matter presented the highest significant result for phosphorus available. Moreover, the combination of the added phosphate fertilizer with organic matter led to an increase in phosphorus availability over time. Therefore, for sustainable agricultural management for using fertilizer with higher efficiency, it’s recommended to mix it with organic manure to ensure a continuous supply of phosphorus for plants during the growing season.