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Waste Mica as Alternative Source of Plant-Available Potassium: Evaluation of Agronomic Potential Through Chemical and Biological Methods

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Abstract

The potassium supplying capacity of the waste mica powder (WMP) was evaluated through chemical and biological means. Four different size fractions of the WMP were studied in laboratory by different chemical extractants. At the same time, experiment of the plant growth was conducted in pot using K-deficient soil. The K release from the WMP by different extractants followed an increasing trend with an increase in the fineness of the particles. The highest K release was recorded by boiling 1 M HNO3 (376.4–1726.4 mg kg−1) followed by 1 M ammonium acetate (33.5–226.5 mg kg−1), 0.01 M citric acid (31.6–158.3 mg kg−1) and water (12.0–112.0 mg kg−1) irrespective of the various size fractions. Significantly, higher cumulative K release from the WMP in successive extraction was recorded with 1 M boiling HNO3 that predicts its slow-release property. The K release by different extractants was correlated significantly and positively with the biomass yield and K uptake by plants. 1 M boiling HNO3 extractable K showed higher correlation values with the biomass yield and K uptake. Therefore, it suggests that the extractant might be a better indicator of K supplying capacity of the WMP. The plant intervention was able to extract 32.8% of total K from the WMP simultaneously improving the exchangeable and non-exchangeable K pool in soil. These above-mentioned results conclude that plants can get access to a significant amount of K from the WMP and it could be an effective source of K in highly weathered tropical soils under K deficiency.

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Acknowledgments

The author thankfully acknowledges the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), New Delhi for Financial Grant (SR/FTP/ES-89/2014). The author thanks Dr. M. S. Chari, Agricultural Research Station, Kadapa, for helping in the collection of waste mica sample and Dr. S. C. Swain, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, for providing soil samples for this study. The ICAR-Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research, Anand, India, is acknowledged for providing facilities to undertake the study. The author also thanks the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that helped to improve the presentation of the article.

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  1. B. B. Basak

    Present address: ICAR-Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research, Boriavi, Anand, Gujarat, 387310, India

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    Appendix 1: Scanning Electron Microscopy Study of Waste Mica

    Appendix 1: Scanning Electron Microscopy Study of Waste Mica

    The surface of waste mica particle samples (both fresh and after plant intervention) was observed using scanning electron microscopy (Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility, Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, India). The samples were mounted on SEM stub (12 mm diameter) using carbon tabs. To enhance the image quality and minimize charging, the samples were coated with thin layer of conducting material (gold or gold palladium) using sputter coater for 1 min. After coating with Au/Pd in sputter coater, the specimens were then scanned in SEM (Philips XL 30 SEM, Netherlands). The micrographs were recorded after suitable magnification and accelerating voltage.

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    Basak, B.B. Waste Mica as Alternative Source of Plant-Available Potassium: Evaluation of Agronomic Potential Through Chemical and Biological Methods. Nat Resour Res 28, 953–965 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-018-9430-3

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