Transformation of added potassium in laterite soils

Abstract

An incubation experiment was conducted under laboratory conditions to study the transformation of applied potassium fertilizer in five rice soils differing in textural composition for a period of three months. At the end of the incubation period, there was a remarkable increase in all the three fractions of potassium viz., water soluble, ammonium acetate extractable and nitric acid soluble forms for all the soils although slight fluctuations were noticed throughout the incubation period. The relationship of the different forms of potassium and the relative proportion of each in the soil varied with the clay content and mineralogical composition.