Vertical mobility of cations as influenced by the method of potassium chloride application to variable charge soils

The magnitude of the vertical movement of nutrients in the soil profile determines their contact with plant roots and leaching, thus affecting the timing and method offertilizer application. This study aimed to assess the K mobility in the soil as influenced by rate and method of potassium chloride addition. The experiment was carried out in 1998, using 7.5 cm wide and 35 cm long PVC leaching columns. Potassium was applied at rates of 0, 150 and 300 mg kg(-1) on the soil surface or incorporated 15 cm deep into two acid soils. Distilled water (300 mL per column) was percolated every seven days, for eight weeks. The volume of percolated water, and its Ca, Mg and K concentrations were determined. KCZ addition on the soil surface caused a downward movement of K to a depth beyond 10 cm. Nevertheless, K leaching was small, and was evident in the initial percolations, was proportional to the applied rate, and was higher in the soil- incorporated treatments. KCl addition increased Ca and Mg leaching in the first five percolations, which may temporarily raise the availability of these nutrients because it coincides with the period of crop establishment when the plant nutrient demand is high. Even in these highly buffered soils, K spread on the soil surface moved downward to reasonable depths, without promoting significant leaching.