Study on the adsorption and desorption of fertilizer phosphates by the soil suspensions

The adsorption and desorption of fertilizer phosphate by soil suspensions were studied with the purpose to improve the efficiency of the use of phosphate fertilizer in rice growing countries. Experiments have shown that the applied phosphate fertilizer was quickly adsorbed by the soil and that the bulk of the fertilizer phosphate got bound to the soil complex. These bound fertilizer phosphates could readily be desorbed by flooding of the soil up to a certain amount. (author)