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Some thoughts on the biogeochemical cycling of potassium in terrestrial ecosystems

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Abstract

Potassium presents a conundrum for biogeochemists. Potassium is cycled wastefully at the plant level, but it appears to be conserved in the nutrient budgets of entire ecosystems, where it sometimes limits net primary productivity. An increasing demand for K fertilizer may accompany the expansion of agriculture into highly weathered tropical soils, where limited supplies of K may control the distribution and productivity of natural vegetation. However, the molar ratios of 4.6 for N/K in herbaceous plants, 17.3 in current global fertilizer applications, and 0.33 in the commodity price of fertilizer suggest that N is vastly overused and K is vastly over-priced in modern agriculture.

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Acknowledgements

My interest in potassium was first stimulated by discussions with Alan Townsend, now at the University of Montana. This manuscript was significant improved by suggestions from Sujay Kaushal (University of Maryland), Steve Norton (University of Maine, Orono), and anonymous reviewers.

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  1. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, 12545, USA

    William H. Schlesinger

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This paper is an invited contribution to the 35th Anniversary Special Issue, edited by Sujay Kaushal, Robert Howarth, and Kate Lajtha.

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Schlesinger, W.H. Some thoughts on the biogeochemical cycling of potassium in terrestrial ecosystems. Biogeochemistry 154, 427–432 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-020-00704-4

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