Author(s): SERRA, A. P.; MARCHETTI, M. E.; DUPAS, E.; CARDUCCI, C. E.; SILVA, E. F. da; PINHEIRO, E. R.

Summary: The aim in developing this work was to summarize information about phosphorus (P) limitation and dynamic in tropical soils for forage grasses production. The major idea is direct information about limited factors affecting P availability, dynamic of P fractionation, P pools, P forms, P use efficiency, and the 4R?s Nutrient Stewardship? for P-fertilizer in forage grasses. Organizing these sub-headings in a chapter can result in interesting of how P behaves under tropical soils, in order to take decision to manage P-fertilizer to accomplish forage grasses production with social, economic, and environmental benefits. As the most limiting nutrient in tropical soils, P-fertilizer in forage grasses can be more effective if the best management practices are followed. In order to avoid excess P-fertilizer application in soil or P-fertilizer response with low efficiency, it is important to understand the P dynamic and the factors associated with P adsorption in soil. Even with low amount of P requested to forages species, the P available in soil is quite low, and this knowledge is primordial to direct P-fertilizer. Tropical soils are quite limited in P content, due to the natural formation with parental material poor in P content and highly weathering condition. Thus, in order to improve phosphorus use efficiency, the 4R?s must be followed to improve P use efficiency (PUE). It is not easy to improve PUE in highly weathering soil with high buffering capacity; however, all the combination of best management practices for P-fertilizer application can result in better use efficiency. Based on the scarcity of natural P-sources in the whole world, the use of alternative P-sources should be incentivized, and more researches about this issue are need for better understanding.

Publication year: 2018

Types of publication: Book sections

Unit: Embrapa Beef Cattle

Keywords: Brachiaria sp, P-use efficiency, Panicum Maximum, Soil fertility, Stylosanthes