Potassium fertilization combined with crop straw incorporation alters soil potassium fractions and availability in northwest China: An incubation study

Potassium (K) input is essential for the improvement of soil fertility in agricultural systems. However, organic amendment may differ from mineral K fertilization with respect to modifying the soil K transformation among different fractions, affecting soil K availability. We conducted a 60-day lab incubation experiment to evaluate the response of soil K dynamics and availability in various fractions with a view to simulating crop residue return and chemical K fertilization in an Anthrosol of northwest China. The tested soil was divided into two main groups, no K fertilization (K0) and K fertilization (K1), each of which was subjected to four straw addition regimes: no straw addition (Control), wheat straw addition (WS), maize straw addition (MS), and both wheat straw and maize straw addition (WS+MS). Soil K levels in the available (AK) and non-exchangeable (NEK) fractions were both significantly increased after K addition, following the order of K>WS>MS. Fertilizer K was the most efficient K source, demonstrating a 72.9% efficiency in increasing soil AK, while wheat and maize straw exhibited efficiencies of 47.1% and 39.3%, respectively. Furthermore, K fertilization and wheat and maize straw addition increased the soil AK in a cumulative manner when used in combination. The mobility factor (M_F) and reduced partition index (I_R) of soil K were used to quantitate the comprehensive soil K mobility and stability, respectively. Positive relationships were observed between the M_F and all relatively available fractions of soil K, whereas the I_R value of soil K correlated negatively with both M_F and all available fractions of soil K. In conclusion, straw amendment could be inferior to mineral K fertilization in improving soil K availability when they were almost equal in the net K input. Crop straw return coupled with K fertilization can be a promising strategy for improving both soil K availability and cycling in soil–plant systems.