Phosphorus in soils and plants - facing phosphorus scarcity

Introduction Phosphorus is a fundamental nutrient for primary productivity of ecosystems and agricultural production, but its misuse impacts agricultural sustainability and has important environmental consequences. Access to global reserves of phosphate rock is politically sensitive and economically challenging. Phosphorus accumulates in agricultural soils, representing a financial loss to farmers and increasing the risk of loss to water. The challenges facing phosphorus sustainability are varied, but many solutions are to be found in the plant-soil system. Scope This special issue arises from the 5th International Symposium on Phosphorus in Soils and Plants (PSP5), held in Montpellier, France. Articles highlighted here discuss ways to tackle food security, improve phosphorus sustainability by understanding the imbalanced phosphorus cycle, use technology to reduce phosphorus demand and recycle phosphorus in waste products, and consider how efforts to increase phosphorus efficiency interact with other sustainability challenges. Conclusions The challenges associated with P sustainability are tackled from many different directions, including plant genetics, soil microbiology, novel imaging and modelling techniques, the development of new technologies, and an improved understanding of how these technologies interact with agronomic management. Integration of the various approaches will be necessary to deliver a truly effective solution to the challenge of attaining phosphorus sustainability.