Description: Purpose   Managing declining nutrient use efficiency in crop production has been a global priority to maintain high agricultural productivity with finite non-renewable nutrient resources, in particular phosphorus (P). Rapid spectroscopic methods increase measurement density of soil nutrients and improve the accuracy of rates of additional P inputs. Materials and methods   Soil P was measured by a multi-element energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopic (XRFS) method to estimate the spatial distribution of soil total (XRFS-P) and bioavailable P in a Fluvisol occurring on a 20-ha contiguous area comprised of seven elongated field strips under a wheat–maize rotation near the Quzhou Agricultural Experiment Station in the North China Plain. Results and discussion   Soil XRFS-P was highly variable along the length of the field strips and across the entire area after decades of continuous cultivation. A linear relationship existed between XRFS-P and bicarbonate-extractable P or Mehlich 3-extractable P, allowing a description of the spatial distribution of bioavailable P based on XRFS, in both directions of a two-dimensional grid covering the entire area ( p  〈 0.05). Distinct management zones were identified for more precise placement of additional P. Conclusions   Direct element-specific analysis and a high sample throughput make XRFS an indispensable component of a new approach to sustainably manage P, and other macronutrients of low atomic number Z such as K, Ca, or Cl in production fields, based on their site-specific variations in the soil. Concerning P, this rapid precision approach provides a promising avenue to manage soil P as a regionalized variable while preventing zones of deficiency or surplus P that can affect plant productivity or potential loss from a field, respectively. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s11368-011-0347-2 Authors Thanh H. Dao, USDA-ARS Environmental Management and ByProducts Utilization Laboratory, BARC-East Bldg. 306, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA Yuxin X. Miao, College of Resources and Environmental Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China Fusuo S. Zhang, College of Resources and Environmental Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China Journal Journal of Soils and Sediments Online ISSN 1614-7480 Print ISSN 1439-0108