Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil phosphorus and crop uptake in global cropland during the 20th century

Phosphorus (P) plays a vital role in global crop production and food security. In this study, we investigate the changes in soil P pool inventories calibrated from historical countrywide crop P uptake, using a 0.5-by-0.5 degree spatially explicit model for the period 1900–2010.

Globally, the total P pool per hectare increased rapidly between 1900 and 2010 in soils of Europe (+31%), South America (+2%), North America (+15%), Asia (+17%), and Oceania (+17%), while it has been stable in Africa. Simulated crop P uptake is influenced by both soil properties (available P and the P retention potential) and crop characteristics (maximum uptake).

Until 1950, P fertilizer application had a negligible influence on crop uptake, but recently it has become a driving factor for food production in industrialized countries and a number of transition countries like Brazil, Korea, and China.

This comprehensive and spatially explicit model can be used to assess how long surplus P fertilization is needed or how long depletions of built-up surplus P can continue without affecting crop yield.

Authors

Jie Zhang, Arthur H. W. Beusen, Dirk F. Van Apeldoorn, José M. Mogollón, Chaoqing Yu, and Alexander F. Bouwman

Specifications

Publication title
Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil phosphorus and crop uptake in global cropland during the 20th century
Publication date
20 April 2017
Publication type
Publicatie
Magazine
Biogeosciences, 14, p. 2055–2068
Product number
2907