Characteristics evaluation, nutrition contribution of irrigation water and straw toward response to nutritional potassium fertilization in paddy field

Potassium is one of the primary macro nutrients along with N and P nutrients, which plants need in large quantities. Lack of K nutrients, one of which can inhibit photosynthetic transport to plant seeds. The availability of K nutrients in paddy soil varies greatly depending on the chemical properties of other soils. This paper aims to evaluate the nutrient K characteristics of paddy fields, the K contribution from irrigation water and harvested straw, and the response of fertilization to rice yields. The availability of K nutrients, apart from being influenced by clay mineral composition, clay content, organic C and soil CEC, is also influenced by N fertilization, soil pH, exchangeable of Ca and Mg, and N-total. The content of potential K and exchangeable of K increases in paddy fields which are further east of Java Island because they have soil with parent material that is rich in potassium minerals. The content of exchangeable K is very closely related to the potential K with R2 = 0.53 (n = 73). Based on the map of the nutrient status of K rice fields with a scale of 1:250,000 in 23 provinces in Indonesia, it is known that most of the paddy fields have moderate K status at 37% and high 48%. The K content in paddy soil can be contributed by irrigation water as much as 7-74 kg K/ha/season. If all of the remaining rice straw from crop yields is returned to the field, the K nutrient requirements for rice plants in the medium and high K nutrient status fields have been fulfilled. The response to K fertilization in rice plants was only visible when the exchangeable K content < 0.10 cmol(+)/ kg. The policy implication of this paper is that K fertilization is focused on paddy fields with low K content, the effectiveness of K fertilization can be increased by returning rice straw from crop residues and proper N fertilization.