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 During 2004 an IFDC team of scientists
including Dr. S. H. (Norman) Chien, Principal Soils Chemist; Dr. Julio
Henao, Senior Biometrics Scientist; Dr. Upendra Singh, Senior Systems
Modeling Scientist; Ms. Suzette Smallberger, Visiting Scientist, and Dr.
Paul W. Wilkens, Programmer, developed a PRDSS that predicts the
relative agronomic effectiveness of PR for initial application of PR. A
PR database consisting of phosphorus content and PR solubility was
developed for 76 unground and finely ground PR samples varying widely in
reactivity.
The database uses the new IFDC
standardized procedure for determining PR solubility. The database thus
allows fair comparison of different PR sources. Greenhouse experiments
were established to provide additional information and data required for
a more fully functional PRDSS.
IFDC staff developed designs for field
trials to validate the PRDSS in Africa, Asia, and South America. The
Africa Division will conduct field trials in Togo, and the University of
Hawaii will oversee trials in Mali and Thailand. The International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will fund field trials based on the designs
in Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brazil, and Argentina.
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