Gonzalo Rizzo, Fahmuddin Agus, Zuziana Susanti, Roland Buresh, Kenneth G. Cassman, Achim Dobermann, Nurwulan Agustiani, Vina Eka Aristya, Siti Fatimah Batubara, Nurul Istiqomah, Thomas Oberthür, Julie Pasuquin, Samijan, Christian Witt, Patricio Grassini
{"title":"Potassium limits productivity in intensive cereal cropping systems in Southeast Asia","authors":"Gonzalo Rizzo, Fahmuddin Agus, Zuziana Susanti, Roland Buresh, Kenneth G. Cassman, Achim Dobermann, Nurwulan Agustiani, Vina Eka Aristya, Siti Fatimah Batubara, Nurul Istiqomah, Thomas Oberthür, Julie Pasuquin, Samijan, Christian Witt, Patricio Grassini","doi":"10.1038/s43016-024-01065-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Potassium (K) has received little attention as a potential yield-limiting factor in cropping systems. Here we investigated the K status in intensive cereal cropping systems in Indonesia, which are representative of many other Southeast Asian countries. Our analysis included nutrient input–output balance, leaf nutrient status, long- and short-term fertilizer trials, and farmer surveys. We revealed that soil K levels alone are insufficient to meet plant requirements, and current fertilizer applications are inadequate to prevent K deficiencies and large negative annual soil K balances in farmer fields (average −62 kgK ha<sup>−1</sup>). On-farm fertilizer trials indicated that nearly 80% of rice crops and 70% of maize crops achieved higher yields with the application of K fertilizer. Addressing K limitations will require an enhanced capacity to predict crop responses to K fertilizer, together with long-term, flexible fertilizer and crop residue management strategies. Furthermore, similar K limitations have probably emerged in other regions globally due to intensive cropping with insufficient K replenishment, which must be addressed to close yield gaps on existing farmland.</p>","PeriodicalId":19090,"journal":{"name":"Nature Food","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nature Food","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-024-01065-z","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Potassium (K) has received little attention as a potential yield-limiting factor in cropping systems. Here we investigated the K status in intensive cereal cropping systems in Indonesia, which are representative of many other Southeast Asian countries. Our analysis included nutrient input–output balance, leaf nutrient status, long- and short-term fertilizer trials, and farmer surveys. We revealed that soil K levels alone are insufficient to meet plant requirements, and current fertilizer applications are inadequate to prevent K deficiencies and large negative annual soil K balances in farmer fields (average −62 kgK ha−1). On-farm fertilizer trials indicated that nearly 80% of rice crops and 70% of maize crops achieved higher yields with the application of K fertilizer. Addressing K limitations will require an enhanced capacity to predict crop responses to K fertilizer, together with long-term, flexible fertilizer and crop residue management strategies. Furthermore, similar K limitations have probably emerged in other regions globally due to intensive cropping with insufficient K replenishment, which must be addressed to close yield gaps on existing farmland.