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Changes in soil potassium and environmental impacts in the Yangtze River basin in China over the past 30 years
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  • Dandan Zhu,
  • Zhihong Li,
  • Lixuan Guo,
  • Jianwei Lu,
  • Rihuan Cong,
  • Tao Ren,
  • Xiaokun Li
Dandan Zhu
Huazhong Agricultural University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Zhihong Li
Huazhong Agricultural University
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Lixuan Guo
Huazhong Agricultural University
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Jianwei Lu
Huazhong Agricultural University
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Rihuan Cong
Huazhong Agriculture University
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Tao Ren
Huazhong Agriculture University
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Xiaokun Li
Huazhong Agricultural University
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Abstract

The Yangtze River basin is distributed across subtropical monsoon climate regions, and has four seasons, including a hot rainy season. These climatic conditions provide favorable conditions for paddy-upland rotation. This paper summarizes the spatiotemporal changes in soil potassium (K) and K cycles in soil-plant systems, as well as environmental impacts on K changes, and provides information for optimal K management. During the past 30 years, soil available K increased by -7.1% to 103.4%. The increase was lower in Hunan, Guizhou, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu provinces (<10%) and higher in Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, and Chongqing provinces (>30%), demonstrating that soil K pools were enhanced. Farm manure was gradually replaced by synthetic K sources, such as straw and mineral fertilizers, which contributed to an increase in crop yields and soil available K. The meta-analysis results showed that comprehensive K management strategies increased crop yield and soil available K by 11.0% and 44.3%, respectively, on average. Other factors such as balanced fertilization, recycling of straw, increase in atmospheric deposition, decrease in leaching, runoff, and soil K fixation also greatly influenced soil K changes, leading to improvements in crop yields, soil structure, soil fertility, and nutrient availability. Positive K cycles and appropriate K fertilizer use will facilitate proper K management, including cycling of straw, improving machinery and equipment, and estimating the optimal K fertilizer dose after straw. Future studies should focus on tradeoffs between different forms of K under various environmental conditions and accurate estimates of reductions in mineral-K fertilizer requirements following straw return.
07 Aug 2020Submitted to Land Degradation & Development
13 Aug 2020Submission Checks Completed
13 Aug 2020Assigned to Editor
15 Aug 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
30 Dec 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
01 Jan 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Major
22 Jan 20211st Revision Received
22 Jan 2021Submission Checks Completed
22 Jan 2021Assigned to Editor
18 Feb 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
27 Feb 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
17 May 20212nd Revision Received
18 May 2021Submission Checks Completed
18 May 2021Assigned to Editor
05 Jul 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
18 Jul 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
29 Jul 20213rd Revision Received
29 Jul 2021Submission Checks Completed
29 Jul 2021Assigned to Editor
02 Aug 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
02 Aug 2021Editorial Decision: Accept