Plant nutrient status of soils of the Atherton Tableland, North Queensland

Abstract

The principal soils of the Atherton Tableland are derived from basalt, granite, acid volcanic, and metamorphic rocks. They are predominantly krasnozems with some xanthozems and krasnozem variants. They were assessed for plant nutrient status by means of glasshouse experiments using the legumes Desmodium intortum and Trifolium repens as test plants. The main nutrient responses were, in decreasing order of magnitude, to phosphorus, molybdenum, and potassium. There were also small responses on some soils to sulphur, liming, and, under liming, to zinc. For most of the soils growth was negligible in the absence of added phosphorus. Responses to added molybdenum in the presence of liming indicated gross soil molybdenum deficiency. Potassium response was related to total rainfall except for the soils on metamorphic parent material.