| Abstract: | Abstract To evaluate the impact of soil clay mineralogy on the utilization efficiency of potassium fertilizers by rice, potassium fixation studies were made on fourteen soil clays having a range of mineralogical compositions. Soil clay with monomineralic beidellite fixed the highest proportion (76%) of the added potash, followed by clays containing either dominant or major vermiculite (51–66%). Fixation was significantly less severe (<35%) in vermiculitic clays containing hydrous mica. All the clays with mineralogical suites without beidellite or vermiculite, but consisting of montmorillonite, chlorite, hydrous mica, halloysite, kaolinite, and x‐ray amorphous material did not fix appreciable amounts (<18%) of the applied potassium. |
