Influence of drought stress on phosphorus dynamics and maize growth in tropical ecosystems

Summary

Drought has a significant impact on ecosystem functions, especially on the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus (P), which is a crucial nutrient for plant growth and productivity. Despite its importance, the effects of different drought scenarios on soil P cycling and availability remain poorly understood in previous studies. This study simulated drought conditions in tropical soils using maize as a test crop under varying field capacity (FC) levels (100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20%) over a 60-day pot experiment. P uptake and plant biomass decreased significantly lower FC level. P uptake was highest at FC100 (5 g kg^-¹) and lowest at FC20 (3.5 g kg^-¹). Similarly, biomass was greatest at FC100 (70 g plant^-¹) and declined to 35 g plant^-¹ at FC20, unders