Kinetics of potassium release and fixation in some soils of Ogun State, Southwestern, Nigeria as influenced by organic manure

A A Taiwo,K O Elemo,M T Adetunji,J O Azeez

doi:10.1007/s40093-018-0211-0

Abstract

PurposeThe study investigated the effects of poultry and goat manures on the kinetics of potassium fixation and release in some sandy loam and loamy soils of Ogun State, Nigeria.MethodsThe treatments consisted of poultry and goat manures applied at 25 g and 100 g/5 kg soil set in completely randomized design with three replicates. Potassium fixation and release kinetics were computed from the analytical data.ResultsExperimental soils was sandy, slightly acidic, low in nutrients with 80% fixed potassium. However, manure application resulted in 74% reduction of the amount of K fixed by the soils. Elovich and power functions had the best fit for K released in soils treated with goat manure. The K release pattern in poultry manure-amended soil is best described by the parabolic diffusion, Elovich, and power functions, while the first-order equation described K release in soils treated with cattle manure. The potassium release rate constant correlated positively with K uptake.ConclusionThe ability of the studied soils to fixed K was reduced with the application of organic manures. Potassium fixation decreased with increase in organic manure rates, 100 g/5 kg soil tends to be the optimum rate, and poultry manure had greater effect on the fixing and releasing power of K.

Highlights

Potassium (K) fixation is common in most soils, and this underscores the importance of the nutrient addition as fertilizer nutrient and its availability to plants
All the studied soil was acidic in nature; this may be due to the soil management practices or the sandy texture could have promoted the leaching of soil basic cations
Low values were observed for effective cation exchange capacity and exchangeable acidity in the soil samples; these could be a result of washing out of exchangeable bases in the soil (Olatunji et al 2007)

Summary

Introduction

Potassium (K) fixation is common in most soils, and this underscores the importance of the nutrient addition as fertilizer nutrient and its availability to plants. Omueti and Laukullich (1988) reported that the presence of aluminum (Al) in soil interlayer 2:1 and mixed-layered silicates exhibit a pronounced affinity for K. This may invariably modify K exchange reactions and availability to crops in highly weathered soils of the tropics. It is established that K released from micaceous clays like muscovite or biotite occurs when there is exchange between the K and hydrated cations; it may be as a result of mica dissolution which takes place before the formation of weathering products The importance of these two (muscovite and biotite) in K chemistry is based on the stability of mica and soil environments (Sparks 2000). This is even more important in Nigeria where the soils are mostly deficient in K and large quantities of the animal manures

Methods

Results

Conclusion