Method and composition for agricultural potassium-plus fertigation
View Patent ↗An agricultural potassium-fertigation method for emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation feeds a potassium-plus nutrient feedstock comprised of potassium formate and additional yield-assist constituent(s) and water to an active emitter-irrigation system discontinuously, at levels of 0.15 to 50 gal./min, during one to six nonconsecutive irrigation days during a crop cycle.
1. A method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus 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-plus 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-plus nutrient feedstock is comprised of from 10 to 50 wt. percent potassium formate, from 1 to 35 wt. percent additional yield-assist constituent(s) 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 5 nonconsecutive irrigation days over a crop cycle.
2. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock is comprised of from 5 to 35 weight percent potassium formate, from 5 to 35 percent additional yield-assist constituent(s) and water, wherein said additional yield-assist constituent(s) are selected from the group consisting of N (as N), P (as P2O5), Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, acid and combinations thereof.
3. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock is comprised of from 10 to 35 weight percent potassium formate, from 5 to 35 weight percent additional yield-assist constituent(s) and water, wherein from 90 to 100 weight percent of said additional yield-assist constituent(s) are selected from the group consisting of N (as N), P (as P2O5), acid and combinations thereof.
4. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock is comprised of from 10 to 35 weight percent potassium formate, from 5 to 35 weight percent additional yield-assist constituent(s) and water, wherein from 90 to 100 weight percent of said additional yield-assist constituent(s) are selected from the group consisting of urea, di-ammonium phosphate, phosphoric acid and formic acid and combinations thereof.
5. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein said emitter-irrigation system is a micro-irrigation system.
6. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein said emitter-irrigation system is an overhead sprinkler system.
7. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock is charged at a rate of 0.15 to 50 gal./min.
8. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock is charged at a rate of 0.5 to 20 gal./min.
9. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said charging of said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock provides a concentration of from 50 to 20,000 ppm of potassium as K2O in said treated irrigation water.
10. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said charging of said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock provides a concentration of from 100 to 10,000 ppm of potassium as K2O in said treated irrigation water.
11. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said charging of said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock is continued from 1 to 9 hours during an irrigation day.
12. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock is charged at a rate of 0.15 to 50 gal./min. and said charging of said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock provides a concentration of from 50 to 20,000 ppm of potassium as K2O in said treated irrigation.
13. The method of discontinuous emitter-irrigation potassium-plus fertigation of an agricultural field according to claim 1 wherein, in step 1, said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock is charged at a rate of 0.5 to 20 gal./min. and said charging of said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock provides a concentration of from 100 to 10,000 ppm of potassium as K2O in said treated irrigation water.
14. A treated irrigation water comprising a potassium-plus nutrient feedstock and irrigation water, wherein said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock is comprised of from 10 to 50 wt. percent potassium formate and from 1 to 35 wt. percent additional yield-assist constituent(s).
15. The treated irrigation water according to claim 14 wherein said additional yield-assist constituent(s) are selected from the group consisting of N (as N), P (as P2O5), Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, acid and combinations thereof.
16. The treated irrigation water according to claim 14 wherein from 90 to 100 weight percent of said additional yield-assist constituent(s) are selected from the group consisting of N (as N), P (as P2O5), acid and combinations thereof.
17. A treated irrigation water comprising irrigation water and a potassium-plus nutrient feedstock, wherein said potassium-plus nutrient feedstock is comprised of from 10 to 50 wt. percent potassium formate and from 1 to 35 wt. percent additional yield-assist constituent(s) comprised of irrigation water, from 100 to 10,000 ppm potassium as K2O and from 100 to 7,500 ppm additional yield-assist constituent(s).
18. The treated irrigation water according to claim 17 wherein said additional yield-assist constituent(s) are selected from the group consisting of N (as N), P (as P2O5), Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, acid and combinations thereof.
19. The treated irrigation water according to claim 18 wherein said additional yield-assist constituent(s) are selected from the group consisting of N (as N), P (as P2O5), Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, acid and combinations thereof, and wherein from 90 to 100 weight percent of said additional yield-assist constituent(s) are selected from the group consisting of N (as N), P (as P2O5), acid and combinations thereof.
20. The treated irrigation water according to claim 18 wherein said additional yield-assist constituent(s) are selected from the group consisting of urea, di-ammonium phosphate, phosphoric acid, formic acid and combinations thereof.