Abstract
Permanent meadows play a multifaceted role, not only increasing soil organic matter and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but also mitigating nutrient percolation, particularly that of phosphorus (P). P holds essential significance for all living organisms, and understanding its availability to plants and microorganisms is pivotal for understanding the relationship between management and enhanced productivity. Our study, conducted in a mountain environment in South Tyrol (NE Italy), investigated organic fertilization effects on moderately species-poor (C1) and moderately species-rich (C2) permanent meadows at the end of the growing season. Our results show that, at this time, the application of farmyard manure (alone or combined with manure effluent) led to an increase in P availability in the soil as the P input increased, suggesting that higher organic matter content in the manures is associated with greater soil available P. We also observed a more pronounced increase in P availability in C2 compared to C1 as the P input increased. To gain a comprehensive understanding, further investigation is needed to determine if the enhanced P availability in C2 meadow class is due to a legacy effect from pre-trial management or the result of lower cut frequency associated with this treatment.