Summary
This study describes the development and validation of a process-based phosphorus module integrated into the SPACSYS soil–plant–atmosphere model, tested using winter wheat field data from Rothamsted Research. The model reasonably simulated aboveground dry matter, P accumulation and soil moisture when P fertiliser was applied, but showed larger discrepancies in unfertilised fields. The work demonstrates the feasibility of modelling carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and water interactions within a single mechanistic framework, though with acknowledged limitations in scenarios of P deficiency.
UK applicability
This research directly applies to UK cereal production and soil management, given that it was calibrated and validated using a long-running Rothamsted field trial. The model's predictive capacity for P dynamics under UK growing conditions could inform fertiliser recommendations and nutrient cycling studies on British farms, though the identified discrepancies in low-P scenarios merit further refinement for marginal or organic systems.
Key measures
Aboveground dry matter, soil and plant phosphorus content, soil moisture dynamics, soil nitrate and ammonium concentrations, P accumulation in crops
Outcomes reported
The study evaluated the SPACSYS model's ability to simulate phosphorus dynamics, crop P accumulation, and aboveground dry matter in winter wheat under different P fertilisation regimes. Model performance was assessed against field observations from a winter wheat experiment at Rothamsted Research.
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