Fertilization strategy drives phosphorus retention and potassium vulnerability in a tropical integrated crop–livestock system

Fertilization strategy drives phosphorus retention and potassium vulnerability in a tropical integrated crop–livestock system | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Fertilization strategy drives phosphorus retention and potassium vulnerability in a tropical integrated crop–livestock system João Eduardo Alves Davi, Camila Calazans da Silva Luz, Gabriela Castro Pires, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9226884/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Integrated crop–livestock systems (ICLS) can enhance nutrient cycling and reduce dependence on external inputs, particularly in tropical Oxisols where phosphorus (P) fixation and potassium (K) mobility limit nutrient use efficiency. This study quantified annual fluxes, stocks, and balances of P and K in a soybean–pasture system under contrasting fertilization strategies, including fertilizer placement (pasture vs. soybean) and nitrogen (N) application in the pasture phase. Annual P cycling ranged from 70 to 87 kg ha⁻¹, with system fertilization increasing residual P in pasture by 18% compared to conventional fertilization. Nitrogen application enhanced soybean P uptake by 21%, although crop P balances remained positive across all treatments. Potassium cycling ranged from 178 to 198 kg ha⁻¹ and showed greater variability, with strong interactions between fertilization strategy and N supply. Potassium balances ranged from −48.9 to +18.4 kg ha⁻¹, with the largest deficit observed under system fertilization combined with N. These results indicate that fertilizer placement in pasture improves P retention and redistribution, whereas K dynamics are more sensitive to N inputs and grazing-mediated nutrient return. In tropical ICLS, short-term nutrient balances are strongly influenced by the interaction between fertilization strategy and N management, with contrasting implications for P stability and K vulnerability. Integrated crop–livestock systems Oxisol Nutrient cycling Fertilization strategy Tropical systems Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files MaterialSuplementar.docx resumografico.tiff Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9226884","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":621815389,"identity":"277856d9-d027-41cf-8802-06c2ceab3188","order_by":0,"name":"João Eduardo Alves Davi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Federal University of Paraná","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"João","middleName":"Eduardo Alves","lastName":"Davi","suffix":""},{"id":621815390,"identity":"a800310e-5c4a-4490-9817-7117bd3beba9","order_by":1,"name":"Camila Calazans da Silva 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