Soil phosphorus in the agricultural landscape
Phosphorus (P) is necessary for all life. Phosphorus is cycled in various forms through soil, water and living organisms.
The distribution of P over a farm landscape is often uneven, with inputs from animals and fertilisers greater in some areas, and losses from erosion and runoff greater in other areas. Phosphorus is often moved around the landscape by harvesting pasture or crop from one area, and feeding to livestock in another. The management of P inputs and the movement of P around the farm landscape will benefit the land manager financially, and also decrease the likelihood of P losses into waterways.
The following animation provides a simple illustration of the cycle of P in soil in an agricultural landscape.
Click on this P animation to start. An additional animation has been developed for further information on the transformation of P in soil in a grazing system.
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A transcript of the Soil phosphorus cycle in the agricultural landscape animation is available.
