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USE AND UTILIZATION OF POTASSIUM FERTILIZERS IN ARGENTINA
Agriculture development in Argentina is based on oil and cereal crops and meat
production. The favorable and productive natural conditions of local soils well supplied of..
nutrients, were sufficient to sustain a steady grain yield increase. The coexistence of,!agriculture
with the cattle production maintained at significant levels the productivity of
our soils (recovering fertility and structure). However, during the last years the obierved
increase of the cropped area at expenses of a significant reduction of area deserved to.,
cattle, as a result the duration of the agricultural cycles extended transforming the basic a
rotation agriculture-cattle production to almost permanent agriculture.
These facts resulted in a deterioration of soils, both in fertility and in its physical
attributes as well, like reduction in organic matter, widening areas with phosphorus and
nitrogen deficiencies, and acidification. The increase of mechanization, although today
diminished by the extent of no till, a greater land use intensity, the diffusion of the double
culture wheat-soybean and the lack of a suitable replenish of nutrients exported by crop
harvest contributed to increase the deterioration of Argentine soils.
The fertilization of oil and cereals crops is based exclusively on nitrogen and
phosphate fertilizer, but recently sulfur fertilizers has begun to be included in the wheat
and soybean fertilization programs. The consumption of nutrients used in grain production
is distributed as 57.2 % of Nitrogen, 42.5 % P2O5 and only 0.3 % of KO. The consumption
of nutrients in Pastures, both annual and perennial is 45.4 % of nitrogen, 54.4 %
of P 20, and 0.2 % of K20. Unlike grain and pastures, regional cash crops including sugar
cane, cotton, tobacco, fruits, vineyards, citrus and vegetables the nutrient utilization is as
follow: 62 % nitrogen, 17, 2 % are P205 and 20.5 % of K20.
Unbalanced fertilization appears as limiting factors for obtaining higher yields. In.
spite of the little use of potassium fertilizers, except in intensive productions in Argentina,
the combination of an almost permanent extractive agriculture, and genetically improved
more productive germoplasm, we would have to consider K application among other
basic nutrients in balanced fertilization programs. This would ensure that these highly
productive crops could satisfy their nutrient requirements and show all their production
potential.
Introducci6n
Argentina no produce fertilizantes potisicos, de modo que todo su consumo deviene
de la importaci6n. En la tabla 1 es factible confirmar el bajo consumo de fertilizantes potisicos
que ha realizado en Argentina desde 1993 hasta el 2000. Indudablemente esto se debe en
gran parte a que en la regi6n pampeana donde se concentra la mayor parte de los culivos
extensivos los niveles de potasio son considerados altos. Pero esto no impide que en el largo o
mediano plazo, si no hay una reposici6n gradual del nutriente, este pueda llegar a ser deft-
Sesi6n IV. Apiicacidn y uso de fertilizanres potisicos
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