Next Article in Journal
Marked Spatial Variability in Acidity Characteristics of Purple Soil at Field Scale Induced by Citrus Plantation
Previous Article in Journal
Influence of Groundwater Depth on Salt Migration and Maize Growth in the Typical Irrigation Area
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Agronomy
Volume 15
Issue 5
10.3390/agronomy15051023
agronomy-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems

by
Yi Yuan
1,
Yi Zhu
1,
Yichen Zhao
1,
Meng Wang
1,
Zhaoming Qu
1,
Dongqing Lv
1,
Yanli Liu
1,
Yan Song
2,
Tingting Wang
2,
Chengliang Li
1 and
Haojie Feng
1,*
1
National Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China
2
Stanley Agriculture Group Co., Ltd., Linyi 276700, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2025, 15(5), 1023; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051023
Submission received: 21 March 2025 / Revised: 17 April 2025 / Accepted: 22 April 2025 / Published: 24 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Innovative Cropping Systems)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

Crop rotation systems profoundly influence soil phosphorus (P) dynamics through physicochemical and microbial interactions. The mechanisms regulating P availability under various rotational practices remain poorly understood. This five-year field experiment investigated the effects of four rotation systems (WM: wheat–maize; WP: wheat–peanut; WS: wheat–soybean; MV: maize–hairy vetch) on soil P fractions, phosphatase activities, P-cycling gene abundance, and their interactions with soil properties. The WM rotation substantially reduced soil pH (6.29) while increasing labile P fractions (Ca2-P) and moderately labile P (Al-P, Fe-P, and Ca8-P), which was attributed to enhanced acid phosphatase activity. The WP rotation elevated soil pH (8.13) but reduced P availability due to calcium–P immobilization. The MV rotation stimulated microbial P cycling, exhibiting the highest phoD (2.01 × 106 copies g−1) and phnK (33,140 copies g−1) gene abundance, which was linked to green manure-induced microbial activation. Redundancy analysis identified soil pH, total nitrogen, and stoichiometric ratios (C/N and N/P) as key shared drivers of P fractions and enzymatic activity. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS–PM) indicated that crop rotation directly regulated P availability through pH modulation (r = −0.559 ***) and the C/N ratio (r = 0.343 ***) while indirectly regulating P fractions through phosphatase activity. Lower C/N ratios (<10) across all rotation regimes amplified the carbon limitation in the process of P transformation, indicating that exogenous carbon inputs and appropriate stoichiometry in the soil should be optimized. The results of this study inform the selection of suitable crop rotation patterns for sustainable agriculture.
Keywords: crop rotation; phosphorus fractions; soil pH; acid phosphatase activity; alkaline phosphatase activity; C/N; P-cycling gene crop rotation; phosphorus fractions; soil pH; acid phosphatase activity; alkaline phosphatase activity; C/N; P-cycling gene

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Yuan, Y.; Zhu, Y.; Zhao, Y.; Wang, M.; Qu, Z.; Lv, D.; Liu, Y.; Song, Y.; Wang, T.; Li, C.; et al. Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems. Agronomy 2025, 15, 1023. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051023

AMA Style

Yuan Y, Zhu Y, Zhao Y, Wang M, Qu Z, Lv D, Liu Y, Song Y, Wang T, Li C, et al. Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems. Agronomy. 2025; 15(5):1023. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051023

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yuan, Yi, Yi Zhu, Yichen Zhao, Meng Wang, Zhaoming Qu, Dongqing Lv, Yanli Liu, Yan Song, Tingting Wang, Chengliang Li, and et al. 2025. "Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems" Agronomy 15, no. 5: 1023. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051023

APA Style

Yuan, Y., Zhu, Y., Zhao, Y., Wang, M., Qu, Z., Lv, D., Liu, Y., Song, Y., Wang, T., Li, C., & Feng, H. (2025). Soil pH and Nutrient Stoichiometry as Key Drivers of Phosphorus Availability in Crop Rotation Systems. Agronomy, 15(5), 1023. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051023

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop