Chemical Nature of Phosphorus in Cropping Soils from Western Australia Characterised by 31P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Speciation of soil phosphorus (P) is paramount to understanding the biogeochemical cycle in agroecosystems and key for an efficient P management. Most studies using solution-state 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for P speciation were done in soils from eastern Australia. Currently, in-depth knowledge of the P dynamics is limited for the western-Australian region. Only one study has been published using solution-state 31P NMR to characterise P compounds in topsoils (0–2.5 cm) from Western Australia under karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor F. Muell.) forests. Therefore, the objective of this research is to improve our knowledge and provide new information on the chemical composition of P in cropping soils from Western Australia