If a nutrient recommendation calls for 48 pounds K2O per acre, how many tons of KCl are needed for a 120-acre field?

To determine how many tons of potassium chloride (KCl) are needed for a 120-acre field based on a recommendation of 48 pounds of K2O per acre, it's essential to first convert the recommendation into total pounds needed for the entire field.

When the recommendation is for 48 pounds of K2O per acre, for a 120-acre field, you would calculate the total K2O requirement:

48 pounds/acre * 120 acres = 5,760 pounds of K2O.

Now, to convert this into tons, the next step is to divide by 2,000 (since there are 2,000 pounds in a ton):

5,760 pounds ÷ 2,000 = 2.88 tons of K2O.

Next, we need to convert K2O into KCl, as the nutrient needed is potassium chloride. The relationship between K2O and KCl is important; specifically, KCl contains about 60% potassium by weight. To find the required amount of KCl to provide the equivalent of 2.88 tons of K2O, you apply the conversion factor:

To express K2O in terms of KCl, we can derive that:

1 ton