AbstractCitrate can accumulate in the rhizosphere of phosphate (P) deficient plants. Therefore, P desorption was investigated in relation to citrate concentrations applied in a single or sequential mode to a Luvisol and a Podzol. Cumulative P desorption increased up to 20 times that of the control, the absolute increase being higher in the Podzol. The rate of P release was closely related to the rate of Fe+Al release indicating that desorption originated mainly from Fe/Al associated P. The mode of citrate loading affected the P desorption in an ambiguous manner. P‐diffusion coefficients were calculated from the desorption data. The coefficients strongly increased with citrate loading, the increase being more pronounced in the Podzo