Abstract:【Objectives】In drip irrigation agriculture system, according to phosphorus nutrition demand characteristic of maize in different growth stage, water coupling with P fertilizer application is an effective way of improving P resources efficiency as well as decreasing soil P fixation in calcareous soil. However, more information is needed about how to improve P utilization efficiency in drip irrigated fields. The objective of this field study was to compare the effect of different P fertilizers on drip irrigated corn yield and P utilization. 【Methods】 The experiment included four treatments: (i) no P fertilizer (CK), (ii) P2O5 81 kg/ha of solid diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer basal applied at planting and 54 kg topdressed (T1), (iii) P2O5 81 kg/ha of liquid phosphoric acid (PA) fertilizer applied at planting and 54 kg topdressied (T2), (iv) P2O5 135 kg/ha of liquid PA topdressed (T3).【Results】The yield was 20622 kg/ha in the T3 treatment, 37% higher than in the CK, 25% higher than in the T1, and 10% higher than in the T2 treatment. The total biomass, grain number per panicle and grain weight per 1000 grains were also the highest in the T3 treatment (P<0.05). At tasseling stage, 14.0 kg/ha of P was absorbed in the CK treatment, 22.7 kg in the T1 treatment, 21.0 kg in the T2 treatment and 18.3 kg in the T3 treatment. At maturity, total P absorption was 68.4 kg/ha, 77.8 kg/ha,.87.2 kg/ha and 91.9 kg/ha for CK,T1,T2, and T3, respectively. The amount of P absorption in the T3 treatment was significantly higher than in the other treatments (P<0.05), indicating that topdressing of P significantly improved the P nutrition of corn. The apparent recovery efficiency of the P fertilizer (REP) was 16.6% in the T1 treatment, 32.6% in the T2 treatment and 40.6% in the T3 treatment. The T3 treatment increased REP by 8-24 percentage points compared with the T1 and T2 treatments. The agronomic efficiency of the P fertilizer (AEP) for T1, T2 and T3 was 7.9, 22.7 and 40.6 kg/kg respectively. The T3 treatment increased AEP by 17.9-32.7 kg/kg compared with the T1 and T2 treatments.【Results】 Liquid P fertilizer topdressing with drip irrigation significantly improves the P nutrition and P fertilizer utilization efficiency of corn, can be regarded as an efficient P fertilizer application strategy in calcareous soil.