The Influence of Form and Rate on the Efficacy of Matrix-Based Fertilizers to Reduce Nutrient Leaching

Table 3

Total amount of NH₄, NO₃, total phosphorus (TP), and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) leached from sandy loam and loam soils and shoot and root dry weight arbuscular mycorrhizal infection of St. Augustine grass receiving pellet, banded, or broadcast.

Fertilizer	DRP	TP	NO3	NH4	Shoot Weight	Root Weight	Total weight	Mycorrhizal infectiond
	mg element L^−1 water				g			%
Fertilizer not applied (Control)	3.33^(b)	5.47^(b)	9.94^(c)	0.10^(c)	2.69^(d)	0.98^(d)	3.67^(d)	44^(a)
Matrix Based Fertilizer 1 (MBF4)	4.68^(b)	5.00^(b)	12.57^(b)	0.45^(b)	14.21^(b)	3.34^(b)	17.58^(b)	48^(a)
Matrix Based Fertilizer 3 (MBF5)	3.29^(b)	3.89^(b)	4.39^(d)	0.28^(b)	7.38^(c)	1.88^(c)	9.26^(c)	39^(a)
Osmocote 14-14-14 (SRF)	10.78^(a)	8.33^(a)	108.29^(a)	3.17^(a)	30.68^(a)	3.49^(a)	36.24^(a)	37^(a)

(a)In each column, values followed by the same letter are not significantly different as determined by the least square means test (𝑃≤.05; 𝑛=36).
(b)Statistical comparisons of parameters in water are presented with regard to fertilizer because interactions of and soil × fertilizer × fertilizer form × week sampled, soil × fertilizer × fertilizer form, soil × fertilizer × week sampled were not significant in the GLM model (𝑃≤.05; 𝑛=18).
(c)Fertilizer rates were MBF4 = 243 kg N ha⁻¹ and 262 kg P ha⁻¹; MBF5 = 121 kg N ha⁻¹ and 236 kg P ha⁻¹; SRF = 267 kg N ha⁻¹, 255 kg P ha⁻¹.
(d)Percent (%) of fine roots infected with arbuscular mycorrhizae.