Phosphorus dynamics and availability to plants in waterlogged soils involve complex processes which differ substantially from those verified in well drained soils. In order to study P availability to rice growing in waterlogged soils, a greenhouse pot trial was performed with nine lowland rice soil samples from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Six phosphorus rates combined with two liming rates were tested. The plants were grown for 60 days and the above ground dry weight and P concentration were determined after harvesting. The results showed antagonistic effects of liming upon P availability, depending on the soil characteristics: (a) liming decreased P availability in soils with low phosphate buffer capacity (PBC) and with iron oxides that are unstable under waterlogging conditions; (b) the opposite was verified in soils with high PBC and stable iron oxides. In addition to the P quantity factor and the PBC, the active iron contents (ammonium acetate extractable Fe) of the soils also seemed to influence P availability to rice in waterlogged soils.
flooding; lowland soils; available P