Phosphorus sorption chractersitics of some soils of southern Ethiopia

Declining of soil fertility and management of plant nutrient have made gap between the native and added nutrient of the soil. Phosphorus is an essential macro nutrient for plant growth and it's generally added to soil as a fertilizer and increase the physiological efficiency of crop. Nowadays, using phosphorus fertilizer is mandatory for most Ethiopian soil due to its deficiency. When phosphate fertilizer is applied to soil and dissolved by the soil water, various reactions occur between phosphate and soil constituents' who removes phosphorus from the solution phase and render its availability with phenomena called P fixation or sorption. These books try to cover the determinant factor for grouping soil as high and low P fixing. The adsorption maximum(Xm) shows the sorption capacity of the soil, while K(Bonding energy) and SPR(Standard Phosphorus Requirement) helps to categorize the soil as high and low sorbing soil. The determinant soil parameters which can influence soil to have high fixation character were explained in this book accordingly.