Abstract:
Development of a laboratory method for predicting the phosphate requirements of pasture plants, in pounds phosphorus per acre, is described. Measurement of the phosphate sorption by soil at a standard equilibrium concentration was used. Predictions made by using this method in the following year on different soils accounted for over 85% of the variability in phosphate requirement. A good correlation between phosphate sorbed and phosphate required was found. The relationship was linear over the range 0