Influence of trial management on pasture response to potassium on a pakihi soil

A grazing trial showed no significant responses in soil potassium, pasture yield, or animal performance to applications of potassium chloride above 50 kg/ha on an Addision soil at Bald Hill near Westport, South Island, New Zealand. Continuous mowing plot trials however, showed large pasture yield responses to applied KCl regardless of whether clippings were returned or discarded. An occasional cuts technique with grazing between cuts showed a reduced response. It is suggested that the small plot trials over‐estimated the K requirements of pasture on this soil and that the grazing trial demonstrated the efficiency of K recycling under the management used in the trial.