Response of Corn to Phosphorus Fertilization in Greenhouse, Sunken Drums and Field Experiments

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine if the P fertilizer response of corn planted in sunken bottomless drums was comparable to that in the field. Subsoil and surface of an Ultisol (Orthoxic Palehumults) soil low in available P were placed in sunken drums and planted to corn with and without added P. P response experiments also were carried out with the same soil in the field and in pots in the greenhouse. There was a significant yield and P uptake response to added P in the drum and pot experiments but not in the field, indicating that neither sunken drum experiments nor greenhouse pot tests substitute for field tests in determining response to P by corn.