| Abstract: | Significance of K-depletion in the rhizosphere and clay minerals for the release of nonexchangeable potassium and its determination with HCl Experiments were carried out with four different soils (basaltic soil, C-horizon of a keuper, sea alluvium, and a podsolic brown earth from loess) to investigate whether the fractions of exchangeable K and HCl-soluble nonexchangeable K are decreased in root vicinity by the K uptake of ryegrass (Lolium perenne). After a growth period of 70 days with five cuts distinct K depletion profiles were obtained showing that in the direct vicinity of the root the decrease in exchangeable K was the most pronounced. The K depletion in this fraction extended to 2 cm distance from the root zone. Also the concentration of HCl-soluble nonexchangeable K of the interlayers was decreased in root vicinity. It is assumed that the decrease in K concentration in soil solution is a prerequisite for the net release of interlayer K. The decrease in exchangeable K plus HCl soluble nonexchangeable K was equal to the amount of K taken up by the grass from the basaltic- and the alluvial soil. In the case of the podsolic brown earth and the keuper soil, however, much more K was taken up by the grass than was found in the decrease of exchangeable K plus HCl soluble nonexchangeable K. It is assumed that in these two soils the fraction of the HCl soluble K was more altered by the expansion of interlayers during the growth of rye-grass. The net release of interlayer K was neither related to the concentration of exchangeable K, HCl-soluble non-exchangeable K, the K fixation power nor the clay concentration. It is supposed that the net release of interlayer K also depends on clay mineral characteristics. |
