Calcium, magnesium, and potassium uptake by crested wheatgrass grown on calcareous soils

Robbins, C.W. and Mayland, H.F. (1993) Calcium, magnesium, and potassium uptake by crested wheatgrass grown on calcareous soils. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis. 24(9&10):915-926.

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Abstract

Forage intake with potassium/(calcium + magnesium) [K/(Mg + Ca)]
values in excess of 2.2 are associated with grass tetany and Mg deficiencies
in ruminants. This study was conducted to determine the degree to which forage K
and Mg concentrations and K/(Ca + Mg) ratios could be predicted from soil
bicarbonate (HCO3) extractable phosphate-phosphorus (PO4-P), and saturation
extract Ca, Mg, K, sodium (Na), and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations.
Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron spp) strains and cultivars representing four
ploidy levels were grown in the greenhouse on eight calcareous soils with different
saturation extract Ca, Mg, K and K/Mg ratios. The plants were harvested three
times. Soil solution K/(Ca + Mg) and K/Mg ratios were the only measured soil
parameters that showed a consistent correlation with plant K/(Ca + Mg) ratios.
Bicarbonate extractable soil P was positively related to plant P and K uptake in the
first harvest, but was not related in the second and third harvests nor was soil P
related to plant Ca or Mg content. There was a tendency for the higher ploidy level
entries to have higher plant K/(Ca + Mg) ratios. It was concluded that soil K/(Ca +
Mg) ratios can be used to predict relative forage K/(Ca + Mg) ratios for grasses
grown under similar conditions.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	0796
Subjects:	Irrigated crops > Grass forage > Chemistry Soil > Calcareous soil Soil > Chemistry > Potassium Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User:	Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:53
Last Modified:	01 Dec 2016 21:40
Item ID:	597
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/597