Mineralogical properties of sandy podzols on the Swan Coastal Plain, south-west Australia, and the effects of drying on their phosphate sorption characteristics

Abstract

Very sandy and sometimes seasonally inundated humus podzols of the Bassendean soil association in southwest Australia experience severe leaching of fertiliser P with consequent eutrophication of waterways. P sorption by these soils is mostly minimal and is primarily due to the podzol Bh horizon. The consequence of seasonal drying of profiles under the prevailing Mediterranean climate on the P sorption capacity of these B horizon materials is not known. The effects of air-drying on P sorption were studied for 3 sandy podzols using samples from entire soil profiles collected in winter (wet) and summer (dry). Results confirm that the surface and near surface horizons (i.e. A and E horizons) of ..