Physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of soils are not observed to estimate phosphorus (P) availability in Pernambuco, Brazil. The aim of this work was to determine phosphorus critical levels in distinct soils, using different chemical extractors, considering clay fraction content and quality, and to relate soil physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics with P critical levels. The soils were classified like: Typic Haplustults; Typic Hapludox; Typic Hapludults; Typic Hydraquents and Typic Haplohumods. Treatments consisted of seven P doses, determined in function of P maximum adsorption capacity (PMAC). The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four replicates. Samples of soil were collected at lots useful area. This sampling was made 30 days after the plantation and treatments application at 0,0-0,2 m depth. In these samples it was determined P content by the extractors Mehlich-1, Mehlich-3, Bray-1 and Ionic Change Resin (ICR). The soil P critical levels were determined with soil P content and agricultural production data. Indistinctly, ICR extracted more P, independently of soil. Soil P critical levels were dependent from PMAC, clay content and P-remaining (P-rem), when the extractor to P available estimation was Mehlich-1. Soil critical levels determined by ICR were not dependents of soil chemical and or physical characteristics.
P adsorption; P availability; P extractors
