Abstract
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.
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Acknowledgments
We deeply thank the technical team of the Grignon experimental station which has performed precisely the fertilization protocol since 1959. We also acknowledge Pascal Denoroy from the INRA Bordeaux who contributed to develop the standard mineral contents of cultivated crops and indicated us these values. We also thank François Rassineux of the ERM society for his help for the clay elemental analyses and the Hydrasa laboratory (Université de Poitiers, France) for the use of their X-ray diffractometers. The help of Jacques Mériguet for the field work was also much appreciated. We acknowledge Gérard Lacroix, Elisa Thébault and Céline Hauzy for their helpful comments on the manuscript.
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Barré, P., Montagnier, C., Chenu, C. et al. Clay minerals as a soil potassium reservoir: observation and quantification through X-ray diffraction. Plant Soil 302, 213–220 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9471-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9471-6