Phosphorus Balance in Sandy Soil Subjected to 12 Years of Successive Applications of Animal Manure and Mineral Phosphate Fertilizer in Subtropical Climate

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The study is interesting and the team has organized the document well. However, there are two aspects to which I would like to draw the attention of the authors:

There is total disorganization in the way references are placed. Sometimes they put the authors' names and dates (for example, line 87) and sometimes a numbering that corresponds to the order in which the articles are cited (for example, line 32). These situations are repeated several times throughout the manuscript.

A second, less aesthetic situation is when and when they refer… according to [10] (lines 68, 106,…). In these situations, they should provide the author's name and only then the order number.

Another intriguing aspect is Table 1 (Treatments 2016). If this study is in fact based on an experimental design in randomized blocks as the authors refer, why not put mean values and an associated measure of dispersion (standard deviation, for example) in Table 1. Or else I have to ask, which block are these results from? that is, from which block did they take the samples to obtain these results?

Author Response

Dear Reviewer 1,

We sincerely appreciate the thorough review of our manuscript. All of your suggestions have been incorporated into the article (attached). Regarding the concern about Table 1, we would like to clarify that the values presented in this table represent the average of the results obtained from the four experimental blocks. We have made the necessary formatting, reference, and text corrections as per your guidance. We highly value the time you dedicated to this review, and your contributions have greatly enhanced the quality of our work.

Best regards,

Gustavo Brunetto

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear Authors

Greeting!

I have reviewed your manuscript entitled Phosphorus balance in sandy soil subjected to 12 years of successive applications of animal manure and mineral phosphate fertilizer in a subtropical climate. The objective of this study was to quantify the accumulation, distribution, and indicators of potentially adverse environmental impacts following the application of different types of animal manure and mineral phosphate fertilizer in long-term no-till soil. This is interesting research particularly long-term monitoring of the effect of human intervention on soil properties, including P nutrient.

However, there are several points to consider for clarity. Detail of my comments and suggestion are in the attached pdf file.

Keep good work,

best regards

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear Reviewer 2,

We sincerely appreciate your thorough review of our manuscript. All suggestions provided in the attached PDF document have been incorporated into the article. We have taken note of your concern regarding the texture discrepancy in comparison to Lourenzi's 2014 work. However, the values in question were obtained from analyses conducted in the same year and were consistent with the results found by Couto in 2018, who also conducted studies within the same experiment.

Corrections pertaining to editing and text have been made as per your guidance. We highly value the time you devoted to this review, and your contributions have played a significant role in enhancing the quality of our manuscript.

Thank you once again for your attention and constructive feedback.

Best regards

Gustavo Brunetto

Reviewer 3 Report

Manuscript describes potential of different farm wastes as alternatives of synthetic P fertilizer. Phosphorus balance in sandy soil was studied for 12 years of successive applications of animal manure and mineral phosphate fertilizer in subtropical climate. According to results, all P sources caused significant P accumulation in the surface layers, especially in the inorganic P fraction. But, in the soil with pig deep litter the P moved up to 40 cm and with applications of cow slurry, pig slurry and mineral fertilizer, the movement was observed up to 30 cm. Soils with animal manure applications, especially pig deep litter, have a worrisome potential for P transfer. 

Manuscript is written well.

English language is up to the mark.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer 3,

We would like to express our sincere gratitude for taking the time to review our manuscript. Your thoughtful comments and insights have significantly contributed to improving the quality and clarity of our research article. 

We are grateful for your positive feedback on the quality of the manuscript. Your encouragement inspires us to continue our efforts in conducting meaningful research and presenting it effectively.

Once again, thank you for your dedicated review and insightful comments. Your contribution has been immensely valuable to us.

Best regards

Gustavo Brunetto