| Title: |
Drivers of Phosphorus Efficiency in Tropical and Subtropical Cropping Systems |
| Authors: |
Das, Bianca; Huth, Neil I.; Probert, Merv; Paul, Birthe K.; Kihara, Job Maguta; Bolo, Peter Omondi; Rodríguez, Daniel; Herrero, Mario; Schmidt, Susanne |
| Source: |
Das, Bianca; Huth, Neil; Probert, Merv; Paul, Birthe; Kihara, Job; Bolo, Peter; Rodriguez, Daniel; Herrero,Mario & Schmidt, Susanne. (2019). Drivers of Phosphorus Efficiency in Tropical and Subtropical Cropping Systems. Presented at the third International Tropical Agriculture conference (TROPAG 2019), Brisbane, Australia, 11-13 November 2019. 36,13. |
| Publisher Information: |
MDPI |
| Publication Year: |
2020 |
| Collection: |
CGIAR CGSpace (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) |
| Subject Terms: |
kenya; australia; soil; phosphorus; efficiency |
| Description: |
Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient but is commonly limiting for food production in tropical and subtropical maize cropping. The efficiency of P fertiliser uptake is often low (5–30%) for various site-specific reasons and so identifying the drivers of P efficiency for different systems is important. We conducted a sensitivity analysis on the parameters of a well-established cropping systems model (APSIM) for a wide range of soil, crop and management factors to understand their influence on yield. The analysis was conducted for two contrasting maize cropping systems: (a) a high-input, large-scale commercial system in subtropical Queensland, Australia and (b) a low-input, small-holder system in tropical, western Kenya. In Queensland, yield was most sensitive to available P and mineral N supply, and the sensitivity of both increased with in-crop rainfall. Available P was also the most important parameter in Western Kenya, but N supply had much weaker influence due to higher levels of organic matter. Parameters controlling P sorption were more important than other soil parameters at both sites irrespective of seasonal conditions. In conclusion, these results suggest that efforts to improve efficiency of P use by plants need to account for interactions between water and N supply in environments where these are limiting. They also highlight a potential constraint to modelling of these systems as some of the most influential parameters are difficult to measure directly. |
| Document Type: |
conference object |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/106628 |
| Availability: |
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/106628 |
| Rights: |
Open Access |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.E22F3FE |
| Database: |
BASE |