Sugarcane Trash Biochar Released Least Extractable Phosphorus in an Acidic Incubated Soil

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Recycling of phosphorus (P) from feedstocks to soils can provide sustainability in agriculture. In our incubation study, we investigated the effects of adding cow manure-derived vermicompost (CMV), cow manure (CM), sugarcane trash biochar (STB), and triple super phosphate (TSP) to extractable P in a sandy loam soil. P was added to the soil at rates of 0, 50, 100, 200, and 300 mg kg-1 based on their total P contents. The amended soils were incubated for 1, 4, 8, and 16 weeks (wk) at room temperature and extractable P samples were measured (by water, Olsen, Mehlich-3 and Bray and Kurtz) and soil pH was monitored. After 1 wk of incubation, the extractable P values were 1.4 mg kg-1 with STB at the smallest while the highest was 79 mg kg-1 with TSP. The corresponding P values in the CMV and CM amended soils were 33 mg kg-1 and 31 mg kg-1. The reductions of extractable P from 1 to 16 wks of incubation were 40%, 35%, and 80% in the CMV, CM and TSP amended soils, respectively, while they increased from 1.43 mg kg-1 to 6.05 mg kg-1 ((320%) in the STB amended soil. Among the amendments, a significant positive relationship was observed between extractable P and the pH in soils amended with STB. The findings revealed that varying P extractability in soils depends on amendment types and duration of incubation. Sugarcane trash biochar did not exhibit an ability to substitute inorganic P fertilizer for assessing bioavailable P.