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Potassium release characteristics, potassium balance, and fingermillet (Eleusine coracana G.) yield sustainability in a 27- year long experiment on an Alfisol in the semi-arid tropical India

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Abstract

Aims

In Alfisols, potassium (K) deficiency limits productivity, as these soils are poor in K-bearing minerals such as mica. As nutrient management practices greatly influence K nutrition of crops especially in the longer term, we evaluated the effects of 27 (1978–2004) years of cropping fingermillet (Eleusine coracana G.) under different manure and mineral fertilizer treatments on K release, balance and yield sustainability on K deficient Alfisols in the semi-arid tropical region of southern India.

Methods

Fingermillet (variety: PR-202) was grown each year under rainfed conditions with 5 different nutrient management treatments: control (no amendment), 10 Mg ha−1 farm yard manure (FYM), 10 Mg ha−1 FYM +50 % NPK, 10 Mg ha−1 FYM +100 % NPK and 100 % NPK. Potassium release characteristics in the soil profile were determined using 1 N boiling HNO3 (strong extracting solution), 0.01 M HCl (medium extracting solution) and 0.01 M CaCl2 (mild extracting solution).

Results

Continuous cropping of Alfisols for 27 years resulted in a decrease in K supplying capacity due to soil K depletion through crop K uptake. In soils without K addition, inherent soil supply could not meet the K requirement of fingermillet; thus, a negative K balance following 27 years of cropping affected K nutrition of the crop in all the treatments. As a result, the highest sustainable yield index (SYI) was observed using an integrated nutrient supply (combined application of nutrients from organic and inorganic sources), and the lowest index was obtained without K additions.

Conclusion

For balanced nutrient management in cereal production systems, K nutrition needs urgent attention in the K deficient Alfisol region of southern India. Addition of any amount of organic manures available at field level offers an alternative strategy for maintaining soil K fertility to improve and sustain crop productivity.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to Agricultural Production Cess Fund of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) for their financial support and scientific staff of AICRPDA (All India Coordinated Research Project on Dryland Agriculture), Bengaluru centre for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Santoshnagar, Saidabad (P.O.), Hyderabad, 500 059, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Ch. Srinivasarao, Sumanta Kundu, Sharanbhoopal Reddy, B. Venkateswarlu & R. Prakash Naik

  2. Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK Campus, Bengaluru, 560 065, Karnataka, India

    B. K. Ramachandrappa

  3. Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Rattan Lal

  4. Global Theme-Resilient Dryland Systems, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics, Patancheru, 502 324, Andhra Pradesh, India

    K. L. Sahrawat

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  1. Ch. Srinivasarao
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  2. Sumanta Kundu
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  3. B. K. Ramachandrappa
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  4. Sharanbhoopal Reddy
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  8. R. Prakash Naik
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Correspondence to Ch. Srinivasarao.

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Srinivasarao, C., Kundu, S., Ramachandrappa, B.K. et al. Potassium release characteristics, potassium balance, and fingermillet (Eleusine coracana G.) yield sustainability in a 27- year long experiment on an Alfisol in the semi-arid tropical India. Plant Soil 374, 315–330 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1877-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1877-8

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