Potassium in soils under different cropping systems:1. Behaviour of K remaining in soils from classical and rotation experiments at Rothamsted and Woburn and evaluation of methods of measuring soil potassium

SUMMARY Measurements made on soils from the Ley–Arable rotation experiments and some of the Classical experiments at Rothamsted and Woburn are described. Values of exchangeable K, equilibrium activity ratio, equilibrium K potential, and buffer capacity are given for each plot. Potassium quantity/intensity relationships measured for each plot showed that no differences in K exchange behaviour have arisen as a result of manuring or of ley or arable treatments. The only fundamental variation was in the quantity of K in the soils. Continuous ley plots, whether given N fertilizer or containing clover, contained much more K than plots carrying crop rotations. In the Classical experiment soils, quantity of K depended largely on manuring. Potassium uptakes by ryegrass grown on the soils from the various plots are discussed. Potassium uptake was well-related to quantity of K, better so than to the other K parameters. The release of non-exchangeable K to the crop was non-linearly related to the fall in exchangeable K in the soils from the Rothamsted Ley-Arable experiments. Drying and re-wetting the cropped soils released K in amounts inversely proportional to the amount of K in the moist cropped soil. This release of K was unrelated to the original exchangeable K contents of the soils.