Essay On Potassium

2.3.7 Soil Potassium

Potassium is the third nutrient element to limit plant growth, which is commonly used in fertilizers. Plants require large amounts of potassium and sometimes they use even more than the soil can supply. It is absorbed by plants in the form of K+. Unlike nitrogen and phosphorus, potassium nutrient is not involved in the internal part of the structure of any organic compound because its single electron is not involved in any covalent bonding. Thus, potassium is always ionisable and is present in the solution of either soil or plant

Effect on Plant Growth and Food

The major function of potassium in plant is to maintain swelling of cells by regulating osmotic concentration. It is essential in the formation and transportation of starch and protein as well as in the development of chlorophyll. Potassium ions tend to be located in the growing tissues. In case of deficiency, they are carried from the older tissues to the younger ones. Therefore, symptoms of

The potassium deficiency is more likely to occur in acid soils than in neutral soils due to the presence of many H+ ions and less of all other cations on exchange sites and in solution. The application of lime to soil enhances the rate of potassium fixation. This factor is sometimes used in a beneficial way such that in well-limed soils, the loss of potassium by leaching can be prevented. Leaching and erosion causes a loss of potassium exceeding that of nitrogen and phosphorus. The other factors are environmental factors, which are wetting and drying, warming and cooling, and freezing and thawing. These physical effects break down the structure of minerals in which potassium can be more easily released. The potassium deficiency can be improved by the application of potassium containing commercial fertilizers. These fertilizers are called as potash fertilizers and are water-soluble thereby readily available to