The scientists studied how different soils in north-west India absorb phosphate. They found that as the amount of phosphate in the soil increased, the ability of the soil to absorb more phosphate decreased. They used equations to describe this process and discovered that different types of soil had different abilities to absorb phosphate. They also found that certain soil properties like organic carbon and clay content influenced the soil's ability to absorb phosphate. Overall, the soil properties together explained a large portion of the variation in phosphate absorption in these soils.