Factors influencing the status of phosphorus in surface soils of Ghana
1972
Acquaye, D.K., Division of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon (Ghana) | Oteng, J.W., Division of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon (Ghana)
Studies were carried out on the influence of parent material, pH, clay content, organic matter and vegetative cover on the total, organic and inorganic P status of topsoils of 48 soil series developed over the principal parent materials in the different ecological zones of Ghana. The total, organic and total inorganic P contents were higher in soils with pH 5 than in soils with pH 5; and they all tended to be higher with increasing clay content. Also the three P fractions were more than twice in the soils with organic C 0'8% as in soils with organic C 0·8%. The total, organic and total inorganic P contents of the soils were in the order: forest forest/ savanna intergrade savanna. Based on their status of total P, the soils fall into two groups according to the parent material as follows: (1) basic rocks (limestone and hornblende gneiss), Birrimian rocks and phyllite, and alluvium (shales and mudstones) with mean total P greater than 20·0 mg P/lOO g soil, and (2) acidic parent materials (i.e. granites and acidic gneisses, and sandstones and tertiary sands) with mean total P less than 20·0 mg P/I00 g soil. The contents of total inorganic P followed a similar trend with the former group containnig mean values greater than 10'0 mg P/I00 g soil and the latter lower values. With respect to organic P content, the former contained a mean of 10·3 mg and the latter 7·6 mg P/I00 g soil. The influence of the factors on total, organic and inorganic P contents are discussed.
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