A single-point irrigation installation was used to simulate drip irrigation

where the effects of different fertilization methods on soil nutrient migration were studied. Two application methods of phosphate (P) and potash (K) fertilizers were designed: applied before irrigation as base fertilizer and applied with irrigation water

and the temporal and spatial distributions of soil P and K after drip irrigation were observed. The results showed that the soluble P and K fertilizers were migrated with the infiltration of drip irrigation

and the high value of available P appeared near the edge of the wet zone

while the available K evenly distributed in the moist area. Soil P accumulated only in the wet zone depth of 20 cm and the horizontal direction of 15 cm within the soil caused by the water flow. When the total application amount of P fertilizer was consistent

the maximum content of available P in soil applied with water was significantly higher than that applied as base fertilizer. When applied with water

the distribution of available K in soil was also uniform

whereas high value area was formed near the drip point. Applying K fertilizer with irrigation water could slow down the migration rate of available K to a certain extent.