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Estimating the potential to reduce potassium surplus in intensive vegetable fields of China

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Abstract

Potassium (K) is important for crop quality, and this knowledge has stimulated substantial K fertilizer application in intensive cropping systems of China, resulting in an unbalanced nutrient supply and the squandering of K resources. In this study, we assessed the status of K in China’s intensive vegetable planting systems using data from the literature and our recent results. Scenario analysis was designed to estimate the potential for reducing chemical K fertilizer based on the K recommended strategy and manure replacement strategies. The results showed that K surplus, and soil exchangeable K levels in vegetable fields increased during the period with a stable growing area (2003–) compared to the period with an expanding growing area (before 2003). Much higher K surplus and accumulation and more severe K leaching were observed in greenhouse. Excessive K application contributed to low K use efficiency and K resource waste. Based on the data analysis, the K consumption derived from chemical fertilizer and organic amendments was 8.2 million Mg K, though the theoretical demand for vegetable planting was only 6.0 million Mg K with the K recommendation strategy of “build-up and maintenance (B&M)”. Scenario analysis suggested that chemical K fertilizer application could be reduced by 21.7, 69.6 and 54.3% by considering alternative K sources derived from manure and straw, as based on the conventional proportion, N-based strategy and P-based strategy, respectively. Maximizing the use of K from organic amendments requires limiting manure application by considering environmental deterioration and the topdressing requirement with chemical K fertilizer.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the financial support from the Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System of Beijing Innovation Team Project (BAIC01-2016).

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  1. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan Xilu, Haidian, Beijing, 100193, People’s Republic of China

    Shuo Chen, Zhengjuan Yan & Qing Chen

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  1. Shuo Chen
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Correspondence to Qing Chen.

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Chen, S., Yan, Z. & Chen, Q. Estimating the potential to reduce potassium surplus in intensive vegetable fields of China. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 107, 265–277 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-017-9835-0

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