Benefits Of Potassium

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Potassium (K) is one of the sixteen essential nutrients required for plant growth and reproduction. It is not only a constituent of any plant structure or compounds but also plays a vital role in photosynthesis, translocation of ions and their balance, regulation of stomatal opening and closure, water use efficiency and activation of at least 60 enzymes. Potassium is the most abundant cation in the cells of non-halophytic higher plants (Maathuis et al., 1997). It is absorbed by plants in higher amounts than any other mineral element except nitrogen (Daliparthy et al., 1994). Kafkafi (1990) suggested that the luxury storage of K by cotton plant can be both beneficial for higher yields and a cheap source of insurance against possible K-deficiency …show more content…

These deficiencies cannot always be corrected by potassium soil application especially at later stages of plant growth and this will be effective only for the next crop (Weir, 1998). However, foliar applications of potassium may be useful to overcome these deficiencies more quickly and efficiently (Hassan and Arshad, …show more content…

Essington et al., (2002) found that modern cultivars grown on loess derived soils were particularly prone to potassium deficiency. Conventional and Bt cotton cultivars showed differential responses to potassium deficiency (Makhdum et al., 2007; Zhang et al., 2007). Cotton leaf growth, chlorophyll content and photosynthesis are the most sensitive physiological process in potassium deficient conditions (Pettigrew, 1999).
Aladakatti et al. (2011) compared the soil and foliar application of potassium and he concluded that the soil application of potassium (40 kg/ha) with recommended dose of nitrogen and phosphorus (80 & 40 kg/ha) is essential for getting higher seed cotton yield and better quality fiber. But along with the application of recommended dose of N:P:K (80:40:40 kg/ha) and two foliar sprays of K with 1 % MOP each at early (90 DAS) and peak boll formation stage (110 DAS) can increase seed cotton yield with marginal improvement in fiber qualities and net

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