Soil Potassium
Benchmark Value
Scoring Curve
This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.
Evidence & Context
A lower critical threshold of approximately 120 mg/kg of available potassium is proposed for the clay and loam soils characteristic of the arid inland floodplains.
Lower critical threshold of available soil potassium below which forest ecosystem health and productivity are compromised.
This benchmark represents the critical minimum potassium concentration below which forest health and productivity are likely to be significantly compromised in the arid inland floodplains biome.
Based on tree physiology research and NSW pasture legume deficiency thresholds.
Sources (2)
NSW Department of Primary Industries guidelines for pasture legumes on clay loam soils
View SourcePotassium limitation of forest productivity – Part 1: A mechanistic model simulating the effects of potassium availability on canopy carbon and water fluxes in tropical eucalypt stands - BG
View SourceSupporting Sources (4)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
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 SourcePotassium | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au
View SourcePotassium for crop production | UMN Extension
View SourceUnderstanding Your Soil Test (Goulburn Broken CMA, 2016)
View Source