Determination of Potassium Delivery to the Roots of Cereal Plants

Potassium (K) delivery to the roots of cereal plants in soils is determined by both soil and plant factors, root growth and root length density in particular, being of major importance. In Part A of this paper an evaluative framework is shown for sandy and loamy-silty soils for determination of root length density based on available field capacity, soil depth in 10 cm steps and the climatic water balance. A good correlation (r² = 0.86) was found when the root length densities were determined at ear emergence. With the help of correction functions root length densities can be subsequently estimated for the other phenological stages (stem elongation, flowering and yellow ripeness). The method described is suited for determining root length densities in water and nutrient transport simulation models. In Part B exchange resins were used to simulate the K delivery from the soil to the root. Measurements were made for different soils and water contents. The depletion zone near the exchange resin was 6 mm thick after 4 days. This corresponds to results obtained from root measurements. Comparisons between a sandy and a loamy-silty soil show, that K delivery by diffusion for equal concentrations depends primarily on soil moisture and pore tortuosity. This leads to the conclusion, that soil physical properties must be taken into consideration when evaluating chemical soil analysis and recommendating fertilizer applications.