Potassium fertilizer studies on Brachiaria mutica/Centrosema pubescens pastures grown on soils derived from coral limestone Malaita, Solomon Islands. II-The fate of applied fertilizer potassium

Abstract

The fate of fertilizer potassium applied to a pasture of mixed grass and legume was studied over a period of five months. There was no evidence of movement of potassium below a depth of 15 cm in the soil profile even though a total of 1923 mm of rain fell in the 27 week trial period. All the potassium applied to the pasture could be accounted for in the potassium content of the herbage and the available potassium in the soil at the end of the trial differed little from that recorded before fertilizer was applied.