The availability of P is influenced by the application location of this element to the soil, affecting the adsorption, precipitation and fixation due to the reduction of contact with the soil. This study, carried out in a greenhouse, aimed to calibrate P soil concentrations for Eucalyptus pellita growth as affected by fertilizer placement. Samples of two Oxisols were used. The treatment consisted of 14 combinations of seven P rates, which were placed in holes in the upper mid part of pots (planting hole), and seven P doses applied to the soil around the holes (external soil). Samples of the two soils were incubated separately with P for 40 days before being placed in the pots. One eucalyptus plant was grown in the middle of the fertilizer hole of each pot for 82 days. The shoot dry matter was determined and soil samples were collected from both positions of fertilizer placement before sowing and after harvesting the plant, plus a composite sample of both soil positions after harvest. The soil P content was determined by Mehlich-1. Dry matter yield was not closely related with the applied P per pot, but was related with the rates applied in both positions, which demonstrated the effect of location. Plant growth depended essentially on the dose applied in the "hole". The high critical P level determined for this placement does not express the need of using high amounts of P per pot. The P content determined in the upper soil part after harvest clearly represented the mean P availability, but was not closely related with plant growth, indicating the difficulty of establishing a critical level that would represent the mean fertility of the whole soil volume. We suggest adjustments in the calibration method for P when the element is locally applied.
sampling; available P; calibration; recommended doses
