Soil Potassium

AUS-AIF-LVG-SOK General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

300 mg/kg

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: MaximumOnly

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is CompositeFramework, 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.

Contributing Benchmarks

CompositeFramework Primary MaximumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard CompositeFramework Guard CompositeFramework Guard

Evidence & Context

An absolute Colwell K value approaching or exceeding 300 mg/kg in the heavy clay soils of the arid floodplains represents a level where the risk of negative animal health outcomes becomes unacceptably high.

Metric Definition:

Colwell-extractable potassium concentration in the top 10 cm of soil, representing plant-available potassium.

Benchmark Definition:

Detrimental upper threshold of soil potassium above which livestock health risks increase.

Justification:

Based on soil chemistry, plant nutrition, and animal health guidelines indicating increased risk of metabolic disease above this level.

Sources (8)

Preview of After record harvests, how much nitrogen will be tied-up in high ..., accessed August 13, 2025,

After record harvests, how much nitrogen will be tied-up in high ..., accessed August 13, 2025, Journal

Queensland Soil and Land Resource Survey Information Guideline, accessed July 17, 2025

Preview of Australian Soils and Landscapes | Monitoring & Data | TERN - esoil.io, accessed July 30, 2025,

Australian Soils and Landscapes | Monitoring & Data | TERN - esoil.io, accessed July 30, 2025, Government

Australian Soils and Landscapes | Monitoring & Data | TERN - esoil.io

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

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

Preview of 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 - ResearchGate, accessed July 19, 2025,

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 - ResearchGate, accessed July 19, 2025, Journal

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 - ResearchGate, accessed July 17, 2025

Preview of Ecosystem Processes – Environmental Data Collection Methods - TERN Australia

Ecosystem Processes – Environmental Data Collection Methods - TERN Australia Government

Ecosystem Processes – Environmental Data Collection Methods - TERN Australia, accessed July 17, 2025

Preview of Potassium | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au, accessed August 11, 2025,

Potassium | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au, accessed August 11, 2025, Government

Potassium | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au

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

Preview of Soil nutrient critical limits | MBFP | More Beef from Pastures - MLA, accessed May 13, 2025,

Soil nutrient critical limits | MBFP | More Beef from Pastures - MLA, accessed May 13, 2025, Government

Understanding soil tests for pastures | Soil | Farm management ..., accessed July 17, 2025

Supporting Sources (10)

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,

Contextual Support Journal

Nutrient Cycling in Australian Savannas on JSTOR - DOI

Preview of Australian Soils and Landscapes | Monitoring & Data | TERN - esoil.io, accessed July 27, 2025,

Australian Soils and Landscapes | Monitoring & Data | TERN - esoil.io, accessed July 27, 2025,

Methodology Source Government

Categories - Environmental management - CSIRO Data Access Portal

Preview of Grazing support programs | Environment, land and water - Queensland Government, accessed August 8, 2025

Grazing support programs | Environment, land and water - Queensland Government, accessed August 8, 2025

Contextual Support Government

Infiltration rates and soil moisture in a groved mulga community near ..., accessed July 18, 2025

Preview of Hydrological assessment and analysis of the Cooper Creek Catchment, South Australia - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 21, 2025,

Hydrological assessment and analysis of the Cooper Creek Catchment, South Australia - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 21, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Managing Our River Red Gums.pdf

Preview of Impacts of Agricultural Management Practices on Soil Health - NCBI, accessed May 11, 2025

Impacts of Agricultural Management Practices on Soil Health - NCBI, accessed May 11, 2025

Contextual Support

Impacts of Agricultural Management Practices on Soil Health - NCBI, accessed August 28, 2025

Preview of Nutrient cycling in the Southern Coorong - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 17, 2025,

Nutrient cycling in the Southern Coorong - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 17, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Nutrient cycling in the Southern Coorong - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 17, 2025,

Preview of Response of Grazing Land Soil Health to Management Strategies: A Summary Review, accessed August 5, 2025,

Response of Grazing Land Soil Health to Management Strategies: A Summary Review, accessed August 5, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Rangeland Soil Quality: Infiltration - Natural Resources Conservation Service, accessed July 18, 2025

Preview of Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands: A critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - ResearchGate, accessed August 5, 2025,

Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands: A critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - ResearchGate, accessed August 5, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands: A critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - ResearchGate, accessed July 23, 2025

Preview of The dirt on our soils - Curious - Australian Academy of Science, accessed July 13, 2025

The dirt on our soils - Curious - Australian Academy of Science, accessed July 13, 2025

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

The dirt on our soils - Curious - Australian Academy of Science

Preview of Understanding soil tests for pastures | Soil | Farm management ..., accessed May 12, 2025

Understanding soil tests for pastures | Soil | Farm management ..., accessed May 12, 2025

Contextual Support Government

Agriculture Victoria. (2025). Understanding soil tests for pastures. Farm Management.

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 10 Jun 2026

Notes

Levels approaching and exceeding 300 mg/kg are potentially detrimental due to mineral imbalances causing grass tetany in livestock. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AIF-LVG-SOK family.