LAUSR

Abstract. Soil phosphorus (P) management remains a critical challenge for agriculture worldwide, and yet we are still unable to predict soil P dynamics as confidently as that of carbon (C) or nitrogen (N). This is due to both the complexity of inorganic P (Pi) and organic P (Po) cycling and the methodological constraints that have limited our ability to trace P dynamics in the soil-plant system. In this review we describe the challenges to building parsimonious, accurate, and useful P models and to explore the potential of some new techniques to advance modeling efforts. To advance our understanding and modeling of P biogeochemistry, research efforts should focus on the following: 1) update the McGill and Cole (1981) model of Po mineralization by clarifying the role and prevalence of “biochemical” and “biological” Po mineralization which we hypothesize are not mutually exclusive and may co-occur along a continuum of Po substrate stoichiometry; 2) further understand the dynamics of phytate, a 6-C compound that can regulate the poorly understood stoichiometry of soil P; 3) explore the effects of C and Po saturation on P sorption and Po mineralization; and 4) resolve discrepancies between hypotheses about P cycling and the methods used to test these hypotheses.