The research work with a view to evaluate the status, availability, fixation, releasing and supplying behaviour of potassium for a meaningful K-fertilizer management strategy for sustainable crop production in the coastal soils of West Bengal. Forty surface (0-15 cm) soil samples representing the coastal soils of West Bengal were used for assessing the important physical and physicochemical properties and distribution of different forms of potassium. Total K and lattice K content of the soils were high ranging between 1.0 to 2.74 and 0.93 to 2.60%, respectively. Non-exchangeable, available, exchangeable and water soluble K contents of the soils varied from 534 to 1050, 68.81 to 284.77, 58.65 to 232.50 and 10.16 to 52.27 mg/kg contributing 3.84 to 6.32, 0.53 to 1.23, 0.45 to 1.02 and 0.08 to 0.22% towards total K, respectively. The overall soils were high in available, non-exchangeable and mineral K status. Based on the district wise average values of the different forms of K, the soils were in the order: Medinipur East > North 24 Parganas> South 24 Parganas. Different forms of soil K had highly significant positive correlation with pH and EC. Non-exchangeable K was significantly and positively correlated with organic carbon and CEC. Available K, exchangeable K and water soluble K had significant negative correlation with sand. All the

forms of soil potassium were interrelated, indicating the existence of a dynamic equilibrium among them