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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp5 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Evaluation of potassium fractions and fixation capacity in inceptisol of Tamil Nadu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.15705
Submitted
26 May 2026
Published
01-09-2026

Abstract

Potassium (K) plays an important role in maintaining plant health by regulating stomatal movement, enhancing water retention and activating enzymes. It is an essential macronutrient whose availability depends on the distribution and transformation of different K fractions in soil. Although soils contain substantial quantities of K, only a small proportion is readily available for plant uptake. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate K fractions, K fixation capacity and their interrelationships in a soil belonging to the inceptisol order. Surface soil samples were collected from SRM College of Agricultural Science, Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu, India. An incubation experiment was conducted using a factorial completely randomised design (FCRD) with three replications. A total of seven treatments were evaluated, comprising a distilled-water control, five potassium chloride (KCl) application levels (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg K kg-1 soil) and an absolute control (no water). Soil samples were collected at 0, 10 ,20 ,30 ,40 and 50 days after incubation (DAI). Potassium fractions were determined using water extraction for water-soluble K, neutral 1 N NH₄OAc extraction for exchangeable K, boiling HNO₃ extraction for non- exchangeable K and acid digestion for total K. Potassium levels, incubation periods and acid digestion for total K. Potassium levels, incubation periods and their interactions significantly influenced K fractions (p < 0.001). Available K increased from 69.31–759.93 mg K kg-1 soil, while water-soluble K ranged from 92.30–292.33 mg K kg-1 soil. Non-exchangeable K varied from 68.60–109.60 mg K kg-1 soil, indicating the formation of reserve K pools following K application. The highest available K concentration was observed under the 100 mg K kg-1 treatment. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that K levels, incubation period and their interaction significantly influenced all K fractions (p < 0.001). Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between available K and non -exchangeable K (r = 0.69), suggesting that the non-exchangeable pool acts as a buffer or reserve K fraction for maintaining K availability. Potassium fixation capacity showed negative correlations with total K (r = -0.27) and non-exchangeable K (r = -0.17). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the presence of clay minerals contributing to K fixation and release dynamics. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 74.4 % of the total variation, distinguishing dynamic K pools from relatively stable K forms. The findings highlight the dynamic equilibrium among K fractions in inceptisol soil order and emphasise the importance of balanced K management for sustaining soil fertility and crop productivity.

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