Opportunities for mobilizing recalcitrant phosphorus - A review

Phosphorus is perhaps, amongst all the plant nutrients, the one with the most limited bioavailability in soils (approximately 6% of total soil P is readily available (Bray’s & Olsen’s P). 80 % of phosphorus is fixed by primary minerals, precipitate, adsorbed or organically complex form. Phosphorus fertilizer is usually applied in excess of plant requirement and accumulates in soils. As soils are complex and diverse chemical, biochemical and biological systems, strategies to access recalcitrant soil P are often inefficient, case specific and inconsistently applicable in different soils.