The relationship between EUF-K and soil-K fractions of different K selectivity

Summary The fraction of K released during EUF 30-35 min, 80°C, 400 V (EUF₃) and various other soil-K parameters were compared for 24 soils that range widely in clay mineral composition, clay content and percentage K saturation. When EUF₃ was compared with fractions of soil-K containing increasing amounts of non-exchangeable K (=selectively adsorbed K), the R² values decreased with increasing quantities of non-exchangeable K. This indicates that EUF₃ is a function of the exchangeable pool of K, although some initially non-exchangeable K is also involved.     

Studies of slowly available potassium in soils of New Zealand

Summary The concentration of K in the soil solution at zero change of non-exchangeable K (Co) was determined at 20°C and 50°C for six topsoils of widely different clay mineralogy. This was done with and without prior removal of the K that was exchangeable to dilute salt solutions in a two to three hour leach. Except for one case Co was greater for leached than for not leached samples, particularly at the higher temperature. This is attributed to rapid edge-weathering during leaching caused by interlayer penetration at the clay edges by calcium, sodium or hydronium ions. It is assumed that K newly exposed in this manner is not immediately exchangeable but that it exerts an influence on the equilibrium concentration of K in solution.Among soils Co was not related to the K available to ryegrass nor to the non-exchangeable K fraction of the uptake by ryegrass. However, much reduced values of Co were obtained after depletion by ryegrass in the new two soils examined.     

Evaluation of the electro-ultrafiltration technique (EUF) as a measure of the K supplying power of Quebec soils

The electro-ultrafiltration (EUF) method has been used to evaluate the short-term and long-term supplying power of soils for many essential plant nutrients. The objective of this study was to compare the capacity of EUF with other extraction techniques to predict the plant availability of soil K and K fertilizer responsiveness by 10 cuts of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) growing over a 366-day period. Increasingly higher average concentrations of soil K were extracted by EUF at 50 V and 20°C (29 mg kg^-1), EUF at 200 V and 20°C (48 mg kg^-1), 0.002 M SrCl₂ (55 mg kg^-1), EUF at 200 V and 80°C (85 mg kg^-1), 0.1 M HCl (105 mg kg^-1), Mehlich 3 (119 mg kg^-1), 1 M NH₄OAc (120 mg kg^-1) and boiling 1 M HNO₃ (601 mg kg^-1). The large content of vermiculitic minerals in the silt and clay fractions is responsible for EUF desorbing more K in 55 minutes than NH₄OAc in 29 out of 30 soils. The total amount of K desorbed by EUF at 80°C was as effective as Mehlich 3-extractable K in predicting K uptake for the first three cuts and was best among the extracting procedures after boiling 1 M HNO₃ in predicting the long-term K supply, the uptake of K from non-exchangeable sources and the relative yield of alfalfa over 10 cuts. The desorption of soil K with EUF provides a better evaluation of the K-supplying power of Quebec soils than the extractants currently used, especially on a long-term basis.Contribution no. 396.     

Determination of K forms in K-fertilized soils by electro-ultrafiltration

We confirmed the suitability of electro-ultrafiltration (EUF) for (a) determination of the distribution of potassium fertilizer among the various forms of potassium in soils with a predominance of micaceous minerals in their clay fraction, and (b) investigated the effects of the degree of openness of the dominant micaceous mineral and of incubation time on the kinetics of the EUF extraction of K from these soils.Samples of illitic, mixed-layer and vermiculitic soils from Galicia (N.W. Spain) were incubated at field capacity for 450 days with 0 (blank), 5,15 or 25 mg K (as KCl) per 100 g dry soil. After 1, 30, 150 and 450 days, subsamples were removed and repeatedly extracted using electro-ultrafiltration at low (20° C/200 V) and then high (80° C/400 V) temperature/voltage (6 and 10 five-minute extractions, respectively). Five different pools of K were identified: solution K (K_s), surface and internal K (collectively, K_p), slowly exchangeable K (K_e) and non-exchangeable K (K_i). The effects of increasing the incubation time depended on the dominant clay mineralogy: after 450 days, the K added to illitic soils was mostly solution K, whereas that added to vermiculitic soils was mostly internal K.For both low and high temperature/voltage EUF experiments, the extraction-time data were best fitted by the Elovich equation (extracted K=a+b ln t). The kinetic coefficient b depended on the incubation time and dominant clay mineral, and for given soil and incubation time increased linearly with the dose of added K.Abbreviations EUF Electroultrafiltration - K_s Solution potassium - K_p Easily exchangeable (surface + internal) potassium - K_e Slowly exchangeable potassium - K_i Non-exchangeable potassium     

Mobilization of non-exchangeable K by ryegrass in five Moroccan soils with and without mica

Intensive cropping of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiforum L.) in pots was used to assess the contribution of non-exchangeable K to plant uptake. The soils used were: two soils high in mica (illite) developed on recent alluvium plus two smectitic (beidellitic) soils and a soil of mixed mineralogy rich in mica. Four K treatments were used (0, 28.6, 143, and 286 mg kg^-1 soil) with 8 successive monthly cuttings. A response of plant K uptake to added K was observed in all soils. Both 1.0 M NH₄0Ac and 0.2 M CaCl₂ extractable K were depleted to a minimum level specific for each soil. The minima were lower in the old upland soils compared to the young alluvial soils. Uptake of K by Italian ryegrass induced K release from the non-exchangeable K to replenish the plant available pool of K ions. The release of mica interlayer K in the alluvial and in the high K smectitic soil supplied sufficient K to plants even under intensive cropping. The rate of mobilization of interlayer K was low in the smectitic soil with lower K. The lowest release rate was in the old high mica soil. Iron coatings may have inhibited mobilization of interlayer K. The rates of mobilization cannot be predicted from mineralogical and K-extraction data only. The rates of K uptake and the rates of K release by ryegrass under intensive cropping are potential values which can be used for modelling K availability to plants in the soils studied.     

Potassium exchange behaviour in Carribean volcanic ash soils under banana cultivation

Ca−K exchange isotherms of samples from carribean (Martinique island) volcanic soils differing in the weathering stage and in the nature of cation-exchange material were studied. Allophanic soils high in organic matter (Troporthents, Hydrandepts) exhibit a low selectivity for K-ions. Potassium is adsorbed specifically in the halloysitic soils (Humitropepts). A positive relationship exists between the affinity for K⁺ and the halloysite content. This relation is most likely due to the close association of 1∶1 hydrated phyllosilicates with 2∶1 smectitic clay minerals. A lower selectivity for K was observed in the kaolinitic soil materials (Dystropepts). Because parent rocks are very low in K, these exchange properties strongly influence their K status, through differences in susceptibility to K leaching losses and K availability to banana plants in intensive cropping systems.     

Relationships of bio-climatic zones and lithology with various characteristics of forest soils in Greece

Summary Soils derived from a number of different parent materials (lithologies) and developed along a climatic gradient, manifested by the altitudinal succession of natural vegetation zones (Mediterranean, sub-Mediterranean, Mountainous and Pseudoalpine), were sampled throughout mainland Greece.In soils derived from siliceous parent materials low in clay, acidity increase and percent base saturation decreases from the Mediterranean to the Pseudoalpine vegetation zones. Clay illuviation is found mainly in soils developed in the Mediterranean and the sub-Mediterranean zones. No such changes are apparent in clayey soils rich in bases.Organic matter content of the mineral portion of the soil profile increases by a factor of 2 with a decrease in mean annual air temperature of about 10°C. The pattern of change in clay and soil organic matter content with climate is in relatively good agreement with soil development trends in the area, when soil profiles are named according to the FAO-Unesco soil map of the world.Concentrations of Ca and Mg decrease and those of total N, total and extractable P, K, Fe, Mn and Zn increase from the Mediterranean to the Mountainous zone. Within the same zone, however, concentrations of N, Ca, K, Fe, Mn and Zn decrease, but those of Mg, total and extractable P increase with soil depth. The concentrations of most macro- and micronutrients in the humic horizon are several times higher than those in the mineral portion of the soil profile due to biological enrichment.     

Crops and genotypes differ in efficiency of potassium uptake and use

Cultivars with increased efficiency of uptake and utilization of soil nutrients are likely to have positive environmental effects through reduced usage of chemicals in agriculture. This review assesses the available literature on differential uptake and utilization efficiency of K in farming systems. Large areas of agricultural land in the world are deficient in K (e.g. 3/4 of paddy soils in China, 2/3 of the wheatbelt in Southern Australia), with export in agricultural produce (especially hay) and leaching (especially in sandy soils) contributing to lowering of K content in the soil. The capacity of a genotype to grow and yield well in soils low in available K is K efficiency. Genotypic differences in efficiency of K uptake and utilization have been reported for all major economically important plants. The K-efficient phenotype is a complex one comprising a mixture of uptake and utilization efficiency mechanisms. Differential exudation of organic compounds to facilitate release of non-exchangeable K is one of the mechanisms of differential K uptake efficiency. Genotypes efficient in K uptake may have a larger surface area of contact between roots and soil and increased uptake at the root–soil interface to maintain a larger diffusive gradient towards roots. Better translocation of K into different organs, greater capacity to maintain cytosolic K⁺ concentration within optimal ranges and increased capacity to substitute Na⁺ for K⁺ are the main mechanisms underlying K utilization efficiency. Further breeding for increased K efficiency will be dependent on identification of suitable markers and compounding of efficiency mechanisms into locally adapted germplasm.     

Build up and depletion of soil phosphorus and potassium and their uptake by rice and wheat in a long-term field experiment

Summary In a field experiment initiated at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal in 1974 involving rice wheat cropping sequence and NPK fertilizer use on sodic soil (pH 9.2, ESP 32.0), an attempt was made to evaluate the available P and K status of the soil and their uptake by the crops during 1982–83 and 83–84.Application of P to either or both the crops significantly enhanced the yields of rice and improved available P status of the soil. Wheat yields remained unaffected. Fertilizer N reduced P content in rice but increased P uptake in crops and considerably brought down available P to a level (4.5 ppm) where rice plants showed reduced tillering and phosphorus deficiency. Application of K did not affect the yield of either crop but enhanced its available status in soil and uptake by the crops. Contribution of the non-exchangeable K towards total potassium removal was about 93% in the absence of applied K which decreased to 87% with the use of K. Application of K to both crops resulted in lesser uptake from non-exchangeable form as compared to its application to either crop. Laboratory studies carried out on soils of the experimental plots showed that cumulative K release measured after five successive extractions was higher in K-treated soils as compared to untreated ones. The major difference was only in the first extraction representing the exchangeable K after which release became independent of the available K of the soil.     

Parrots Take it with a Grain of Salt: Available Sodium Content May Drive Collpa (Clay Lick) Selection in Southeastern Peru

Soils from 18 parrot collpas ('clay licks') in southeastern Peru averaged four times more available sodium than uneaten control soils. Collpa soils contained marginally more clay than control sites and clay content was uncorrelated with available sodium content. Parrots may select and ingest soils based on available sodium content.     

Potassium forms in aerated and anoxic soils of different management and potassium fertilizer history

The potassium forms and dominant clay mineralogy were studied in naturally well-drained (Hapludalfs, Eutropept) and poorly-drained soils (Fragiudalfs, Fragiaquept), both composed of the same parent materials (silty-clay or silt loam or clayey-loam). The well-drained soils (i.e. aerated) were cultivated and received larger amounts of K fertilizer; the poorly-drained types (i.e. anoxic) were grasslands and received low amount of K fertilizer. The different aspects investigated-exchangeable and nonexchangeable K, potassium fixation capacity and clay X-ray diffraction diagrams-indicated that the potassium status and the behavior of K-containing clays significantly differed between naturally well-drained aerated soils and anoxic poorly-drained soils. The aerated soils were high in both exchangeable and nonexchangeable K; the K saturation rate was high whereas fixation capacity was moderate. However, the anoxic soils showed a large K depletion and high fixation capacity. The silty-clayey soils studied were more affected by moisture regimes than the silt loam or clayey-loam.The differing K status between aerated and anoxic soils can be explained by several processes and factors, including soil weathering and management and K fertilizer history.     

Influence of serpentine abundance on the vertical distribution of available elements in soils

Background and Aim

Biotic and abiotic factors contribute in shaping the distribution through the soil profile of elements released by mineral weathering; among them, leaching and biocycling dominate in temperate environments. We evaluated if the intensity of leaching and biocycling of nutrients can be modulated by element deficiencies linked to the abundance of serpentine in the soil parent material, i.e. if the most deficient elements are more efficiently retained.

Methods

We selected twelve poorly developed soils from Northern Italian beech stands, with variable amounts of serpentinites in the parent material, and determined total and exchangeable Ca, Mg and K, as well as an index of abundance of serpentine minerals.

Results

The total element content depended on the abundance of serpentines, while only exchangeable Mg was related to the parent material. The vertical trend of Ca and K indicated the role of biocycling in all soils, but the relative availability of Ca (ratio between exchangeable and total content) was much higher in the top horizons of serpentine-rich soils.

Conclusions

The different element availability among soils suggested that the vertical distribution of available elements was linked to the parent material and that losses were limited in serpentine-rich soils, probably because plants take up the deficient elements as soon as they are released from litter and thus limit their leaching in deeper soil horizons.     

Clay minerals as a soil potassium reservoir: observation and quantification through X-ray diffraction

Potassium (K) is a major element for plant growth. The K⁺ ions fixed in soil 2:1 clay mineral interlayers contribute to plant K nutrition. Such clay minerals are most often the majority in temperate soils. Field and laboratory observations based on X-ray diffraction techniques suggest that 2:1 clay minerals behave as a K reservoir. The present work investigated this idea through data from a replicated long term fertilization experiment which allowed one to address the following questions: (1) Do fertilization treatments induce some modifications (as seen from X-ray diffraction measurements) on soil 2:1 clay mineralogy? (2) Are soil 2:1 clay mineral modifications related to soil K budget in the different plots? (3) Do fertilizer treatments modify clay Al, Si, Mg, Fe or K elemental content? (4) Are clay mineral modifications related to clay K content modifications? (5) Are clay mineral changes related to clay Al, Si, Mg or Fe content as well as those of K content? Our results showed that K fertilization treatments considered in the context of soil K budget are very significantly related to 2:1 soil clay mineralogy and clay K content. The 2:1 clay mineral modifications observed through X-ray measurements were quantitatively correlated with chemically analyzed clay K content. Clay K content modifications are independent from clay Al, Si, Mg or Fe contents. These results show that the soil chemical environment can modify interlayer site occupations (illite content) which suggests that high level accumulation of potassium can occur without any modification of the clay sheet structure. This study therefore validates the view of 2:1 clay minerals as a K reservoir easily quantifiable through X-ray observations.     

乐陵金丝小枣区生态环境地质特征

乐陵金丝小枣区生态环境地质研究表明,层状沉积的河流相及其变异体,心、底土层层位为壤质、粘壤质的土体构型,以不稳定原生矿物为主的土壤,中性或微碱性的重碳酸盐型地球化学环境,钾素丰富、理化性状良好的潮土、褐土化潮土、盐化潮土为该枣区生态环境地质特征的重要标志．对枣生长发育适宜区进行了划分．     

Release of nonexchangeable potassium from different size fractions of two highly K-fertilized soils in the rhizosphere of rape (Brassica napus cv Drakkar)

The release of nonexchangeable potassium by the different particle size fractions of two soils was studied with a culture device designed to confine soil samples in the rhizosphere of rape (Brassica napus cv Drakkar). After 8 days of cropping, the contribution of nonexchangeable K to K uptake ranged from 50% in the fine clay to 80–100% in the coarser fractions. Due to their high supplying power and their relative abundance, the silt fractions provided a major part of the supply of K by these soils.     

Clay Mineralogy of Central Victorian (Creswick) Soils: Clay Mineral Contents as a Possible Tool of Environmental Indicator

The clay mineralogy and heavy metal/metalloid (As, Pb and Cu) contents of soils developed on the various rock units in a central highlands environment in Victoria (Creswick, Australia) have been investigated. The clay minerals identified showed an order of abundance as: kaolinite ? illite > smectite > mixed-layer (ML) ≈ vermiculite. The soil clay mineralogy did not change systematically with depth (0～ 10, 10～ 20 and 20～ 30 cm) and showed large variations spatially. The high proportion of kaolinite was probably due to the removal of 2:1 phyllosilicates by the formation of 1:1 kaolinite through weathering, which also reduced the cation exchange capacity (CEC) and electrical conductivity (EC, soil: water ratio of 1:5) of soils by aging. Soils were classified as silty loam to loam with a low clay size (≤ 2μ m) fraction. The soils were acidic to moderately acidic with pH ranging from 4.5 to 7.1, averaging 5.7. Concentrations of As, Pb, and Cu (average values 24.3, 16.7 and 11.0 mg/kg, respectively) did not show an association with the clay mineral contents except vermiculite. The occurrence of smectite and mixed-layer clay contents, although far lower than kaolinite and illite, contributed significantly to CEC of soils. The study area was affected by mining, high natural background As values dominate the area and the role of clay minerals in fixation of metalloid/metals was found to be less significant. Low organic matter content (average ～ 6.5%), low soil surface area (average ～ 1.0 m²/g) and the high proportion of kaolinite mineral content result in a limited ability to fix heavy metals. The role of Fe oxides appeared to be a key influence in the fixation of As and other potentially toxic metals, rather than the clay minerals, and therefore requires further research. This work highlighted the importance of the determination of types and amounts of clay minerals of natural soils in environmental management.     

Ammonium fixation in the Sudan Gezira soils

Summary Laboratory studies showed that the Gezira soils contain appreciable amounts of fixed ammonium. Values for the surface soils varied from 0.25–0.30 me/100g. The soils have the capacity to fix a large quantity of applied ammonium.In the two soil profiles studied the amounts of fixed ammonium and the ammonium-fixing capacity increased with depth reaching a maximum in the grey layer at a depth of about 70 to 140 cm below which it decreased again. The fixed ammonium values varied from 0.28 to 0.40 me/100g and comprised from 5.0 to 5.9 per cent of the total ammonium-fixing capacity (oven-dry condition). When expressed as percentage of Kjeldahl nitrogen the fixed ammonium increased with depth, varying from 12.5 to 20.2 per cent. As expected the amount of fixed ammonium was found to depend on the type and amount of the clay minerals present.The current cropping and fertilization practices were found to have very little effect on the fixed ammonium content of the soil, but it is expected from the high-fixing capacity of these soils that the amount of fixed ammonium will increase with the increase in frequency and dose of NH₄-N fertilizers application     

Fixation and release of potassium and ammonium ions in Danish soils

Summary Results of a laboratory investigation showed that among soils in Denmark it are chiefly those rich in clay minerals that will fix and release potassium and ammonium. The two cations were fixed in nearly equivalent proportions, but ammonium was fixed preferentially to potassium when added together to the soil. The maximum fixation reached 20 to 30 per cent of the addition in top soil layer but 50 to 80 in subsoil. Soils from a permanent fertilizer experiment showed the strongest fixation and least release of potassium where no potassic fertilizer had been applied for more than 70 years. In soils from another field experiment on residual effect of various nitrogenous fertilizers there was a small but significant increase in content of inorganically fixed ammonium where urea had been applied.     

Base cation biogeochemistry and weathering under oak and pine: a controlled long-term experiment

Large earthen-walled lysimeters at the San Dimas Experimental Forest in southern California present a unique opportunity to assess vegetation effects on biogeochemical processes and cation release by weathering in controlled soil-vegetation systems where archived samples of soil parent material are available for comparison. The lysimeters were filled in 1937 with homogenized fine sandy loam derived on site from the weathering of diorite, and planted in 1946 with scrub oak (Quercus dumosa) and Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri). Changes in base cation contents were measured in above-ground biomass, and total and exchangeable soil pools to a depth of 1 meter. All cations in the non-exchangeable soil pool decreased relative to the initial fill material, indicating release by weathering. Sodium and K were depleted from both exchangeable and non-exchangeable pools of the soils. Plant uptake of Na was minimal, whereas K storage in vegetation exceeded the loss from the exchangeable soil pool. In both soil-vegetation systems, but especially for oak, there was an increase in exchangeable Ca and Mg. For all base cations, storage in above-ground biomass was greater for oak, whereas losses by weathering from the non-exchangeable soil pool were greater under pine. Strong evidence supports biocycling as a controlling mechanism resulting in greater Ca and Mg release by weathering under pine. In addition, decreases in non-exchangeable Ca and Mg were strongly correlated to decrease in Si under oak, whereas no correlation was observed under pine. We conclude that weathering reactions or stoichiometry differed between vegetation types.Corresponding author     

Soil and water and its relationship to the origin of life.

Soils of the terrestrial planets form at the boundaries between lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere. Biogenesis occurred in these zones; thus, it is axiomatic that some, perhaps many, stages of biogensis occurred in intimate association with the mineral constituents of soils. Because of a high surface to mass ration and, consequently, a high surface reactivity, the layer lattice clay minerals are the most important of these. According to the geological record, clay minerals appeared very early on the primordial Earth. Recent investigations have confirmed their presence in carbonaceous meteorites and have indicated their occurrence on Mars. In this paper we collect pertinent physico-chemical data and summarize the organic reactions and interactions that are induced or catalyzed by clays. Many clay-organic reactions that do not occur readily at high water contents proceed rapidly at adsorbed water contents corresponding to surface coverages of one or two molecular layers. One or two monolayers of adsorbed water correspond to extremely dry or cold planetary environments. Some consequences of these facts vis á vis biogenesis on Mars are considered.