Soil Potassium

AUS-TCF-AGR-SOK General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

200 mg/kg

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: Point

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is Point, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.

Evidence & Context

For specific high-demand horticultural crops such as potatoes, which are an important agricultural product in regions like Tasmania within this biome, a higher target Colwell K level of around 200 mg/kg is suggested.

Metric Definition:

Soil Potassium (Colwell K)

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the target bicarbonate-extractable soil potassium (Colwell K) level for high-demand horticultural crops like potatoes in the Temperate Coastal Forests & Woodlands biome, supporting optimal crop production.

Justification:

Directly supported by Tasmanian-specific research identifying this level as optimum for potato production.

Sources (1)

Preview of Potassium | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au, accessed July 10, 2025

Potassium | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au, accessed July 10, 2025 Government

Do regenerative grazing management practices improve vegetation and soil health in grazed rangelands? Preliminary insights from a space-for-time study in the Great Barrier Reef catchments, Australia - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 17, 2025

View Source

Supporting Sources (5)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of (PDF) Soil potassium—crop response calibration relationships and criteria for field crops grown in Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 18, 2025,

(PDF) Soil potassium—crop response calibration relationships and criteria for field crops grown in Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 18, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

Nutrient Cycling in Australian Savannas on JSTOR - DOI

View Source

Crop and Pasture Science - CSIRO PUBLISHING, accessed July 10, 2025

Direct Evidence Journal

Long-term rundown of plant-available potassium in Western Australia requires a re-evaluation of potassium management for grain production: a review - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 17, 2025

View Source