Soybean growth and yield under different doses and sources of phosphorus on distinct soils

The fertility of soils in tropical areas is limited by the low availability of phosphorus as well as by the unavailability of a great proportion of phosphorus supplied with fertilization. There are still some divergences about the best way of using the different sources of phosphorus available in Brazil. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the soybean production as a result of the application of different phosphorous doses and fertilizers on two types of soils. The work was carried out in a greenhouse at Soil Science Department, Federal University of Lavras, in vases of 3 dm(3) using two kinds of soils: Dystroferric Red Latosol and Quartzarenic Neosols. Eight sources (triple superphosphate-TF, four foreign reactive rock phosphate: FR1, FR2, FR3, and FR4 and two national rock phosphate - FN1 and FN2) and four doses (0, 100, 300, and 600 mg dm(-3)) were applied. Soybeans were used as test plant. Sources with higher solubility showed the highest production and efficiency than natural phosphate. The natural phosphate imported from other countries and FN2 showed good results in supplying P for the soybeans, when compared to the triple superphosphate, even at the first year of culture, mainly on the soil with higher P buffer power. The phosphorus buffer capacity of the soils affected the efficiency of phosphorus sources on the soybean culture.