Soil Potassium

AUS-TMI-AGR-SOK General Low confidence

Benchmark Value

80 mg/kg
Thresholds: Lower: 80, Upper: —
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: LowerThreshold

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 15 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 14 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard Point Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard

Evidence & Context

Lower Critical Threshold: Below 80-100 mg/kg (Colwell K), ecological function is compromised.

Metric Definition:

Lower critical threshold of soil potassium concentration below which ecological function is compromised.

Benchmark Definition:

Threshold below which soil potassium levels impair ecological function.

Justification:

Based on potassium requirements of pasture legumes as a proxy for healthy agroecosystem components.

Sources (1)

Preview of Potassium for high-performing pastures | Nutrient Advantage, accessed July 18, 2025,
Potassium for high-performing pastures | Nutrient Advantage, accessed July 18, 2025, Journal

Potassium for high rainfall pastures - DPIRD's Digital library

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Critical Value of Soil Potassium for Potato Crops in Volcanic Soils
Critical Value of Soil Potassium for Potato Crops in Volcanic Soils
Contextual Support Journal

Critical Value of Soil Potassium for Potato Crops in Volcanic Soils

View Source
Preview of Potassium | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au, accessed August 11, 2025,
Potassium | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au, accessed August 11, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Soil fertility in grazing systems: Manage potassium to manage nitrogen - Crops and Soils, accessed July 28, 2025,

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Tropical & Subtropical Maritime Islands
  • Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 24 Mar 2026

Notes

Represents the lower boundary for maintaining robust ecological function in the target biome.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TMI-AGR-SOK family.

220 mg/kg Moderate
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
Point Active v1
— mg/kg Moderate
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
OptimalRange Active v1