R&D TARGET SPECIFICATION

Evaluation of the potassium status of Ukrainian soils on the basis of modern soil diagnostic techniques and development recommendations for the rational and efficient application of potassium fertilizers.

1. Title of the research. Determine the potassium status of Ukraine soils on the basis of modern soil diagnostic techniques and develop recommendations for the rational and efficient application of potassium fertilizers.
2. Ground for R&D. Agreement № _2/11 of “1” of March 2011.
3. R&D topicality. The problem of the potassium nutrition of crops is extremely important. The cause of this is the high degree of potassium removal by the crop alongside with low rates of potassium fertilizers application.
Knowledge of the actual state of soil fertility will permit to increase the yield of crops; to raise significantly (up 25-40%) the payback of potassium fertilizers through crops yield increase and its quality improvement.
4. The object of R&D. To provide an accurate assessment of potassium status of Ukraine soil, to determine the demand for potassium fertilizers in the country, to establish the efficiency of potassium fertilizers in the soils of the main soil-climatic zones of the country and to work out recommendations for their efficient application on the ground of the data obtained by up-to-date methods of soil diagnostics.
5. The substance of R&D. Field, vegetation and laboratory experiments will be laid and carried out. Soil and plants will be analyzed and also a statistical analysis of the data will be carried out. The data of the automatized informational database on Ukraine and CIS countries soil properties will be summarized and supplemented.
The data of soil survey, Ukraine Agrochemical Service experiments and geographic data network experiments will be analyzed and generalized.
Also the analyzing and generalizing are planned for the information received earlier on the long-term stationary field experiments, laid on the podzolic and typical Chernozems. (Chernozems Chernic, Chernozems Luvic, Haplic Chernozems, Luvic Chernozems – relevant soil names according to WRB and FAO soil taxation).
6. Expected results. The potassium status of Ukraine soil will receive unbiased assessment; prompt and long-term forecast will be developed for the potassium status of three soil climatic zones (Forest, Forest-steppe, Steppe) and Ukraine as a whole; methods will be developed and suggested for the objective evaluation of soil potassium regime of any specified soil; the efficiency will be established of potassium fertilizers on the soils of Ukrainian Polesye (Forest), Forest-steppe and Steppe; the need of the Ukrainian agriculture in potassium fertilizers will be determined and recommendations will be proposed on the efficient use of potassium fertilizers on the soils of Ukraine.