Relationship Between Different Forms of Potassium in Different Particle Sizes in Broad Soil Groups of Uttar Pradesh

The distribution of total potassium in twelve surface soil samples examined, on an average, was found to be 1724, 2630 and 3911 mg, the HCl soluble K 267, 903 and 2113 mg, and fixed (IN HNO₃ soluble) K 59, 202 and 412 mg per 100 g of fine sand, silt and clay respectively. The fine sand fraction had positive significant correlations of r=0.92, r=0.73, r=0.70 and r=0.56 with silt and clay fraction of total and HCl soluble K respectively. The silt fraction had a positive and significant correlations of r=0.64, r=0.91 and r=0.66 with clay in total, HCl soluble and fixed K respectively. The clay fraction of soils, on an average, contributed 34, 52 and 50 per cent of total, HCl soluble and fixed K of soils while silt and fine sand fraction of soils, on an average contributed 26, 27, 30 and 35, 17 and 18 per cent of total HCl soluble and fixed K of soils, respectively.