Indexing

Scenario of Potassium Mining and Management in Indian Agriculture: A Review

Author: Manish Raj, Kanhaiya Lal, Rahul Kumar and Ankita Ranjan

PDF Download PDF

Abstract

Potassium is long been neglected plant nutrient in Indian agriculture. Major states only emphasize on nitrogen and phosphorous fertilization and it creates potassium deficiency in soil. The Indian soil categorized into three group i.e., low, medium and high potassium status that based on 11 million soil sample data over 371 districts. 21% soil has low potassium status, 51% medium and 28% high potassium status. 72% soil has a low to medium potassium status and it requires external potassium application to optimize the crop yield. During past 40 years (1960-2000) the potassium consumption has increased 2.5 folds. The annual potassium mining in India is reported -10.2 Mt and it depleted the soil potassium reserves due to inadequate application of potassic fertilizers. All major states of India show the negative net balance of potassium that indicates removal of potassium much more than the external addition of potassium. The main drawbacks of potassium depletion are that it reduces crop p

Keywords

Potassium, potassium mining, potassic fertilizers, plant nutrient, potassium status.

Conclusion

On the name of Fertilizer management across various states of India mainly concentrated on nitrogen and phosphorous fertilization and it causes imbalanced nutrition in soil. These days plant uptake potassium from soil reserves (mainly non-exchangeable) and continuously depleted the potassium. Nutrient mining is obvious in agriculture and cannot be avoided but reduce by adopting some of the management strategy of potassium. Apart from potassic fertilizer application, crop residue incorporation, fly ash, press mud, distillery spent wash, irrigation water and non-conventional sources of potassium (Micas, glauconite etc.) are the better management strategy to overcome the potassium mining.

References

-

How to cite this article

Raj, M., Lal, K., Kumar, R. and Ranjan, A. (2021). Scenario of Potassium Mining and Management in Indian Agriculture: A Review. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 13(3): 220-224.