Potassium loss due to runoff and leaching, crop uptake, and K-fertilizer input, irrigation and wet deposition was studied, subsequently potassium balance characteristics was analyzed using lysimeter modeled two typical paddy soils from double rice field in Dongting Lake area. K losses due to runoff and leaching in Alluvial Sandy Loamy Paddy Soil （ASL） with lower cation exchange content （CEC） and clayey granule content were increased significantly compared with those in Reddish Yellow Loamy Paddy Soil （RYL） with higher CEC and clayey granule content. Compared with RYL, lower economic and biological yield due to lower capacity of nutrient and water keeping in ASL resulted in lower K uptake. So potassium deficit in double rice field of RYL was more serious than that of ASL because main K proportion was accounted by crop uptake. Available K in soil of surface layer （0-15 cm） was decreased significantly due to long term nutrient management of K deficit in double rice field. The straw return paddy field was suggested as an effective way to increase soil K and balance K deficit in double rice field because large amount of potassium was enriched in rice straw at harvest.
