Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T05:28:42.580Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Cation activity ratios in the soil solution and availability of potassium to rice in a submerged soil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

N. S. Pasricha
Affiliation:
Department of Soils, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, India

Summary

The activity ratios of potassium in dynamic equilibrium with a submerged soil planted with rice were determined fortnightly for 10 weeks. The simple activity ratio, aK(aCa + aMg)-1, and the modified activity ratio to include the activity functions of Fe2+ and Mn2+ as aK/(aCa+ aMg)½ + B(aFe)½ + C(aMn)½, gave linear relationships when plotted against the change in exchangeable K content of the soil. The modified activity ratio of potassium correlated better with potassium concentration (r = 0·91) in and potassium uptake (r = 0·84) by rice than the simple activity ratio (r = 0·86 and 0·81 respectively).

Submergence for 6 weeks almost doubled the potential buffering capacity of potassium, PBCK, showing that the submerged soil sustained a low level of potassium in the soil solution for a long time.

A negative intercept of the plot of equilibrium labile K, Kel, on the ‘quantity’ axis, against the modified activity ratio showed that there is some non-labile K which equilibrates with the soil solution during growth. The value of this intercept (3·40 mequiv/kg soil) is a measure of non-labile K.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alston, A. M. (1972). Availability of magnesium in soils. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 70, 197204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Asami, T. & Kumada, K. (1959). A new method for determining free iron in paddy soils. Soil and Plant Food 5, 14111446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beckett, P. H. T. (1964 a). Studies on soil potassium. I. Confirmation of ratio-law:measurement cf potassium potential. Journal of Soil Science 15, 18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beckett, P. H. T. (1964 b). Potassium and calcium exchange equilibria in soils: specific adsorption sites for potassium. Soil Science 97, 376383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beckett, P. H. T. & Clement, C. R. (1973). Potassium activity ratios and the uptake of potassium by ryegrass in the field. Journal of Soil Science 24, 8293.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beckett, P. H. T. & Napady, M. H. M. (1967). Potassium-calcium exchange equilibria. The location of non-specific exchange sites. Journal of Soil Science 18, 263281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beckett, P. H. T. & Nafady, M. H. M. (1969 a). The effect of prolonged cropping on the exchange surface of clays of Broadbalk field. Journal of Soil Science 20, 110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beckett, P. H. T. & Nafady, M. H. M. (1969 b). Significance of cation activity ratios. Agrochimica 13 (6), 469476.Google Scholar
International Rice Research Institute (1965). Annual Report, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines.Google Scholar
International Rice Research Institute (1967). Annual Report, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines.Google Scholar
LeRoux, J. & Sumner, M. E. (1968). Labile potassium in soils. I. Factors affecting the quantity-intensity (Q/I) parameters. Soil Science 106, 3541.Google Scholar
Ponnamperuma, F. N. (1972). The chemistry of submerged soils. Advances in Agronomy 24, 2996.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ponnamperuma, F. N., Estrella, M. T. & Loy, T. A. (1966). Ionic strength of solutions of flooded soils and other natural aqueous solutions from specific conductance. Soil Science 102, 408413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salmon, R. C. (1964). Cation activity ratios in equilibrium soil solutions and availability of Mg to ryegrass. Soil Science 98, 213221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Talibudeen, O. & Dey, S. K. (1968). Potassium reserves in British soils. I. The Rothamsted classical experiments. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 71, 95104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tinker, P. B. (1964 a). Cation activity ratios in acid Nigerian soils. Journal of Soil Science 15, 2434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tinker, P. B. (1964 b). Equilibrium cation activity ratios and response to potassium fertilizers of Nigerian oil-palms. Journal of Soil Science 15, 3541.CrossRefGoogle Scholar