Method and composition for agricultural potassium fertigation

1. A method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field, said agricultural field being irrigated by means of an active emitter-irrigation system having a stream of flowing irrigation water upstream of said agricultural field, said method comprising the steps of:

(step 1) converting said irrigation water to treated irrigation water by charging a potassium-nutrient feedstock to said stream of said flowing irrigation water upstream of said agricultural field whereby said irrigation water is converted to treated irrigation water,

wherein said potassium-nutrient feedstock is comprised of potassium formate and water;

(step 2) irrigating said agricultural field with said treated irrigation water; and

(step 3) repeating step 1 and step 2 on 0 to all irrigation days over a crop cycle.

2. The method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein said potassium-nutrient feedstock is a 50 to 75 wt. percent aqueous solution of potassium formate.

3. The method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein said potassium-nutrient feedstock is a 65 to 75 wt. percent aqueous solution of potassium formate.

4. The method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein said emitter-irrigation system is a micro-irrigation system.

5. The method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein said emitter-irrigation system is an overhead sprinkler system.

6. The method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said potassium-nutrient feedstock is charged at a rate of 0.001 to 50 gal./min.

7. The method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said potassium-nutrient feedstock is charged at a rate of 0.1 to 20 gal./min.

8. The method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said charging of said potassium-nutrient feedstock provides a concentration of from 1 to 30,000 ppm of potassium as K2O in said treated irrigation water.

9. The method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said charging of said potassium-nutrient feedstock provides a concentration of from 5 to 10,000 ppm of potassium as K2O in said treated irrigation water.

10. The method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said potassium-nutrient feedstock is charged at a rate of 0.001 to 50 gal./1,000 gal. irrigation water.

11. The method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said potassium-nutrient feedstock is charged at a rate of 0.1 to 20 gal./1,000 gal. irrigation water.

12. The method of emitter-irrigation potassium fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said potassium-nutrient feedstock is charged at a rate of 0.1 to 20 gal./min. and said charging of said potassium-nutrient feedstock provides a concentration of from 5 to 10,000 ppm of potassium as K2O in said treated irrigation water.

13. A treated agricultural potassium-fertigation water comprising:

agricultural irrigation water; and

potassium formate at a concentration of from 1 to 30,000 ppm potassium as K2O, prepared according to step 1 of the method of claim 1 .

14. A treated agricultural potassium-fertigation water according to claim 13 wherein said concentration of said potassium formate is from 5 to 10,000 ppm potassium as K2O.