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Abstract
Phosphorus is essential for agriculture, but soil interactions antagonize uptake. An organic acid P fertilizer, Carbond® P (CBP), increases P solubility. One maize (Zea mays L.) glasshouse study on three soils and two field studies were conducted comparing CBP and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) on early season growth. In comparison to maize fertilized with APP, CBP fertilization produced significantly more biomass (in two glasshouse soils and one field study), stem thickness (one glasshouse soil and both field studies), plant height (one field study), and P concentration/uptake (one glasshouse soil and one field study). Although not always resulting in significant increases, CBP never resulted in decreases compared to APP. Increases occurred more commonly in highly calcareous soil (6–12%) low in bicarbonate extractable P (7 mg kg−1). Improvements in early and late season growth parameters using CBP compared to APP warrant its use and further investigation to understand its benefits and limitations.