Potassium release on drying of soil samples from a variety of weathering regimes and c clay mineralogy in China

Thirty two soil samples from China were analyzed for exchangeable K before and after drying. Most soil samples were higher in exchangeable K after air-drying and ovendrying (60°C) than when wet. Soil clay minerals, especially clay-size mica, affected K released in air-dry and oven-dry samples. According to composition of clay minerals of air-dried samples, five classes were recognized. Soil samples with high mica and montmorillonite have the highest exchangeable K. Samples that contained higher kaolinite than mica had lower exchangeable K. Samples with higher kaolinite than quartz and mica had still lower exchangeable K. Samples of sandy soils contained very low exchangeable K. When quartz was the main mineral, the samples that had kaolinite and gibbsite as the main clay minerals had very low exchangeable K. The degree of weathering (weathering mean) bore an inverse relationship to the amount of K released on drying in air or at 60°C. Udults and Udalfs (Red Earths) of southeastern China, because of their high K release on being dried, are inferred to have received fine mica from the Western Desert dust rainout, reported to Liu et al. (1981).