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Conservation agriculture in intensive rice cropping reverses soil potassium depletion

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Abstract

Intensive cropping in the Eastern Gangetic Plain has progressively depleted soil potassium (K) over time due to negative K balances. There is limited understanding of how alternative soil and crop management practices under Conservation Agriculture (CA) will alter the soil K pools in such soils. We hypothesized that long-term CA will reduce K depletion in soils through recycling and storing soil K. A split plot experiment with two factors—(A) soil disturbance (strip planting = SP and conventional = CT), and (B) residue retention (low, LR = 20 cm and high, HR = 50 cm) commenced in 2010 with three crops per annual cycle for 24 consecutive crops. Soil samples were then collected in December 2018 at 0–5, 5–15, 15–30, 30–45 and 45–60 cm to analyse fractions of K along with soil physical and chemical properties. All K fractions were higher in SP (by 300, 26, 7.8 and 2.4 mg kg−1 for total, non-exchangeable, exchangeable and soil solution K, respectively) than in CT while HR was higher (by 267, 243, 18, 28.8 and 15.9 mg kg−1 for total, mineral non-exchangeable, exchangeable and soil solution K, respectively) than in LR. While increased crop residue retention recycled more K to the soil which partly explains higher concentrations in K fractions, both increased residue retention and decreased soil disturbance increased SOC that can positively increase exchangeable K. Hence, the core components of CA, minimal soil disturbance and increased residue retention, resulted in larger K pools in soil and appear to be effective means for reversing negative K balances in these intensive rice-based cropping systems.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Aus rice (a), the combined mass of rice residue (b) and K input from residue (c) as affected by soil depth, tillage and residue treatments. [Legends: SP strip planting and CT conventional tillage; HR high residue, LR low residue. Error bars represent SE (P < 0.05); Means (n = 4) shown]

Fig. 4

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the field and laboratory staff of the Department of Soil Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and Project Implementation Office, Bangladesh for their help with soil sample collection, analysis and maintaining the experiment.

Funding

This research was conducted for a PhD study through the financial support of Krishi Gobeshona Foundation (KGF) and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Project LWR/2016/136) for the Nutrient Management on Diversified Cropping System (NUMAN) project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, 2202, Bangladesh

    M. J. Islam, U. Kumar, M. Maniruzzaman, S. S. Nasreen, M. Jahiruddin & M. M. R. Jahangir

  2. Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia

    M. Cheng, M. E. Haque & R. W. Bell

  3. Soil Resource Development Institute, Field Services Wing, Regional Office, Tangail, Bangladesh

    U. Kumar

  4. On-Farm Research Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Shyampur, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

    M. J. Islam

  5. On-Farm Research Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Pabna, Bangladesh

    M. Maniruzzaman

  6. Regional Agricultural Research Station, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Bangladesh

    S. S. Nasreen

  7. Project Implementation Office, Uttara, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    M. E. Haque

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  1. M. J. Islam
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Correspondence to M. M. R. Jahangir.

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Islam, M.J., Cheng, M., Kumar, U. et al. Conservation agriculture in intensive rice cropping reverses soil potassium depletion. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 125, 437–451 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-023-10261-5

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