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Land-use change from forest to agriculture, which is driven by the demands of sustaining the growing global population, affects nutrient dynamics and availability in soil. Although phosphorus (P) is one of the main limiting nutrients in agricultural production, little is known about the influence of soil microorganisms on the dynamics of P cycling in subtropical land use systems. The objective was to assess the impacts of land use (organic farming, conventional farming and forest) on forms and distribution of P in soil. After conversion of forest, the P stock significantly increased by 373% and 170% in soil under organic farming at 0–10 and 10–20 cm depth, respectively. In conventional farming, the P stock increased by 64% and 36% at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm depth, respectively compared to forest. The larger (up to 4 times) fraction of organic P (Po) than inorganic P (Pi) implies that total P is regulated by organic P. Easily-available P fractions (microbial biomass P, NaHCO 3 -Pi and Po), moderately available P (NaOH-Po) and non-available P (HCl-Pi and Po) were much higher in organic farming than conventional farming and forest, especially at the 0–10 cm depth. Compared to organic farming, the higher (>100) C org : Po ratio that soils under conventional farming and forest are P limited which correspond with higher (2–8 times) activity of acid phosphatase in conventional farming and forest. Concluding, land use and management practices i.e. crop rotation, residue input and farmyard manure application significantly increase different fractions of P in organic farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]