Soil chemical modifications after cauliflower cultivation in response to gypsum and potassium applications

Gypsum supplies Ca and Mg and reduces Al saturation in deep soil layers. After gypsum application, a K source must be applied to minimize soil cation displacement. Cauliflower’s economic importance, its high S and K absorption, and lack of knowledge about its nutritional management drove the objective of studying the effects of gypsum and K2O on soil attributes and cauliflower yield. A 5×5 factorial scheme of gypsum (0, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 kg/ha) and K2O (0, 100, 180, 240, 360 kg/ha as KCl) doses was implemented with 3 replications, and two soil layers assessed. Gypsum increased Ca and S in 0-0.2 and 0.2-0.4 m soil layers. Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn were not affected by the gypsum or K2O. Soil B in 0-0.2 m layer decreased with gypsum. Increasing K2O doses raised K and decreased Mg/K in 0-0.2 and 0.2-0.4 m layers. In 0.2-0.4 m layer, Al and potential acidity also increased by K2O. Cauliflower productivity was not affected by gypsum, reaching 15.93 t/ha when 360 kg/ha of K2O was applied. K2O requires careful management to avoid increasing potential acidity and reducing Mg/K. Gypsum and K2O optimize crop nutritional management to improve cauliflower productivity and soil quality.