Vol. 11, Issue 6 (2022)

Author(s):
Gurvinder Singh and Bimesh Dahal

Abstract:
Phosphorus (P) is the most important macronutrients present in soil just after nitrogen (N) that is essential for plant growth, development and productivity. In soil it is available both in organic and inorganic form. But the organic form of P present in soil is unavailable to plant whereas the available form is in inorganic form. In today’s modern intensive agricultural system large quantity of P is required to feed the high yielding varieties. To supply this requirement for good productivity one has to rely on the inorganic fertilizers. However, Phosphorus (P) has a significant effect both on environment and agriculture through the process of eutropication and plant root-shoot ratio respectively. Inorganic P fertilization in soil predominantly bound with certain cations present depending on soil pH. In acidic soil the applied P will be bound by Iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) whereas in alkaline condition by calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) reducing its mobility thereby reducing its availability. So, without proper management practices to enhance the availability, excess amount of inorganic P are applied making more vulnerable to pollution. So, maintaining an optimum value of root-shoot ratio is essential for better production and reducing pollution in agriculture. Because more root distribution in soil will enhance more nutrient use efficiency. The growth of shoot and root of a plant significantly depends on the concentration/availability of P in the soil. In most of the studies shoot growth is more when the concentration of P in the soil is high whereas the root growth will be more during P deficiency. So, it is crucial to find out the optimum doses of inorganic P that maintain the proper ration of root-shoot that will improve both the environment and agricultural productivity.