Potassium chloride: impacts on soil microbial activity and nitrogen mineralization

Abstract

Potassium chloride is the most widely used potassium source worldwide, and due to its continuous use, the accumulation of its salts in the soil and in plants is becoming more common. Excess available ions can cause a series of physiological disturbances in organisms and can become a biocide in the soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the application of KCl and banana crop residues on soil chloride content, microbial activity, and soil ammonification. The experiment utilized a completely randomized 2 × 4 factorial design with four replicates. Treatments were as follows: two doses of vegetal residue (200 and 400 mg dm-3) × four doses of KCl (0, 167, 334, and 668 mg dm-3 of KCl) and a control (untreated soil). The CO2 emission, ammonium (N-NH4 +) and soil chloride (Cl-) content, and mineralization/immobilization rates of the soils in each treatment were measured 4, 45, and 130 days after incubation (dai). Higher KCl dosages reduced soil microbial activity at 4 dai, regardless of the residue dosage. Microbial activity was reduced at 130 dai in all treatments when compared to the initial period. Higher dosages of banana crop residues increased the Cl- content of the soil and promoted the immobilization of N-NH4 +. We concluded that dosages of KCl (above 400 mg dm-3), when applied to soils that already contain crop residues, reduce microbial activity and mineralization of N in the soil.

Sustainability assessment of lignocellulosic biorefineries based on sequential pretreatments

“…The other major contributors to fertilizer application activity were KCl (0.32 kg CO 2 eq kg −1 ) and ZnSO 4 (0.24 kg CO 2 eq kg −1 ). Although the impact of KCl has been attributed to soil microbial disturbance and inhibition of the nitrogen cycle, 49 the carbon footprint is due to the manufacturing process based on citric acid production 50 . Regarding irrigation, the extensive water demand in rice crops has been identified as one of the main drawbacks of agricultural practices, as it demands 34–43% of the world's irrigation water consumption 51 .…”

Chlorine Concentration and Phytoplankton Diversity in the Streams around Tondano Watershed, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

“…A decrease in river water quality is a decrease in water quality due to the leaching of nutrients, some of which will become residue (Pereira et al, 2019) carried into rivers, causing a decrease in river water quality (Da Costa et al, 2014). Chlorine is beneficial for human life and can be toxic to the environment and human health.…”

Ancient Ceramic Casting Molds from the Southern Russian Far East: Identification of Alloy Traces via Application of Nondestructive SEM-EDS and pXRF Methods

“…However, additionally, potassium and chlorine may penetrate the porous ceramics material from the soils. In particular, the source of both elements might be KCl (potassium chloride), which is well-known as a wide spread soil fertilizer [31]. An explanation for the high K and Cl concentrations at the ceramic mold surfaces seems to be the same as that in the case of high P and Ca concentrations.…”