Phosphorus

Phosphorus has many important functions in plants, the primary one being the storage and transfer of energy through the plant. Adenosine diphosphate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) are high-energy phosphate compounds that control most processes in plants including photosynthesis, respiration, protein and nucleic acid synthesis, and nutrient transport through the plants cells.

Phosphorus is an essential element for plant and animal growth, but too much of it can accelerate the natural aging of lakes and streams. This publication covers essential scientific information about phosphorus and how it behaves in soil, current concerns about phosphorus runoff from agriculture, and how farms can manage this nutrient.

Symptoms:

Without phosphorus, plant growth is retarded. Plants have stunted roots, and are stunted and spindly. Deficiency symptoms also include dull greyish-green leaves and red pigment in leaf bases and dying leaves. Phosphorus deficiency is difficult to diagnose, and by the time it is recognised it may be too late to do anything. If plants are starved of phosphorus as seedlings they may not recover when phosphorus is applied later.

Phosphorus is essential for the general health and vigor of all plants. Some specific growth factors that have been associated with phosphorus are:


Stimulated root development

Increased stalk and stem strength

Improved flower formation and seed production

More uniform and earlier crop maturity

Increased nitrogen N-fixing capacity of legumes

Improvements in crop quality

Increased resistance to plant diseases

Supports development throughout entire life cycle

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