INFLUENCE OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC AMENDMENTS ON PHOSPHORUS CHEMISTRY IN TWO ACIDIC SOILS OF SOUTHWESTERN GHANA

Owusu-Gyimah Victor; Phanuel Yao Klogo; Francis Gbefo

doi:10.5400/jts.2025.v30i1.%p

INFLUENCE OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC AMENDMENTS ON PHOSPHORUS CHEMISTRY IN TWO ACIDIC SOILS OF SOUTHWESTERN GHANA

Owusu-Gyimah Victor, Phanuel Yao Klogo, Francis Gbefo

Abstract

A study in southwestern Ghana compared the effects of organic and inorganic additives on P availability and related factors in two acidic soils, Ankasa and Abenia. Different amounts of P as KH₂PO₄ were applied: 0.067 g kg^-1 for Abenia and 0.041 g kg^-1 for Ankasa. Soil samples were treated with cow dung, Chromolaena odorata, and poultry droppings for six weeks to increase standard P requirement and neutralize exchangeable Aluminum. Data analysis was performed using GenStat (version 14). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted for the soil amendments, followed by Tukey's comparison test at a 5% significance level to identify significant differences among the soil amendments. The result showed that higher rates of organic amendments significantly increased pH, available P (Bray 1 and NaHCO₃-P), NaOH-P, and reduced exchangeable Al concentration. Poultry droppings and cow dung impact notably improved soil quality, while CaCO₃ had similar effects on soil pH but did not significantly affect phosphorus availability or NaOH-extractable P. CaSO₄ and CaCO₃ had minimal impact on phosphorus distribution, suggesting that altering pH or exchangeable Al does not necessarily change phosphorus fractions. Poultry droppings, rich in phosphorus, could be a potential alternative to lime in enhancing phosphorus availability and reducing soil acidity.

Keywords

Acidic soil; exchangeable aluminium; organic and inorganic amendments; phosphorus fractions

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5400/jts.2025.v30i1.%25p