Determination of the Critical Phosphorus Concentration for Corn (Zea mays L.) Using the EBB and Flow System

Year 2021, Volume: 5 Issue: 1, 1 - 7, 27.06.2021

Mark Anthony Barbadillo Romel Armecin Warren Kim Siarot

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to evaluate and assess the suitability of ebb and flow system in determining the critical concentration of phosphorus in plant tissue. There were five treatments consisting of different levels of P added in the form of NaH2PO4*H2O arranged in a Completely Randomized Design. Parameters such as plant dry matter yield and biomass were gathered at the end of the experiment. Results showed that the critical P concentration of corn at the early stage of growth using the ebb and flow hydroponic system was 0.29 % wherein the dry matter yield highly correlates with the P concentration of corn (r = 0.98). The result was nearly within the range of critical P levels obtained using different methods. It is concluded that ebb and flow hydroponic system is very useful for plant nutrition studies and the use of the method is highly recommended in any studies involving plant CNC determination.

Keywords

Crtical P concentration, corn, ebb and flow system

References

• ALSAEEDI, A.H. AND A.M. ELPRINCE. 2000. Critical Phosphorus levels for Salicornia Growth. Agron.J, 92:336-337.
• BARGAZ, A., et al., 2012. Low Soil Phosphorus Availability Increases Acid Phosphatases Activities and Affects P Partitioning in Nodules, Seeds and Rhizosphere of Phaseolus vulgaris. Agriculture, 2, 139-153.
• BATES, T. E. 1970. Factors Affecting Critical Nutrient Concentrations in Plants and Their Evaluation: A Review. Soil Science. Vol. 112, No. 2.
• BURNS, I.G. 1992. Influence of Plant Nutrient Concentration on Growth Rate: Use of a Nutrient Interruption Technique to Determine Critical Concentrations of N, P and K in Young Plants. Plant and Soil 142:221-222.
• LAURON, J. S. 2002.Application of Gliricidia sepium Herbage Combined with Inorganic Fertilizer in Corn.UndergraduateThesis.ViSCA, Baybay, Leyte, pp.2-5.
• LI, Y., T. WANG, J. LI AND Y. AO. 2010.Effect of phosphorus on celery growth and nutrient uptake under different calcium and magnesium levels in substrate culture. Hort. Sci. (Prague), 37: 99–108.
• MARSCHNER, P. 2012. Marschner’s Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants. Third Edition. 3.
• MURPHY, J. & J.P. RILEY. 1982. A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphorus in natural water. Analytica chemical acta. 27:31-36 pp.
• NIEKERK, S. 2015. Ebb & Flow – (Flood and Drain) System.
• ROSEN, C.J., K. A. KELLING, J. C. STARK AND G.A. PORTER. 2014. Optimizing Phosphorus Fertilizer Management in Potato Production. Am. J. Potato Res. 91:146.
• TAIZ, L. AND E. ZEIGER. 2002. Plant Physiology. Third Edition.SunderlandMassachusetts.Sinauer Associations, Inc., Publishers.p. 73.
• TEMEGNE, C. N., et al., 2015. Effect of phosphate deficiency on growth and phosphorus content of three Voandzou (Vigna subterranea (L.)Verdc.) varieties. IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science e-ISSN: 2319-2380, p-ISSN: 2319-2372. Volume 8, Issue 9 Ver. I pp 52-59.