Research on potassium in agriculture: needs and prospects

Abstract

This review highlights future needs for research on potassium (K) in agriculture. Current basic knowledge of K in soils and plant physiology and nutrition is discussed which is followed by sections dealing specifically with future needs for basic and applied research on K in soils, plants, crop nutrition and human and animal nutrition. The section on soils is devoted mainly to the concept of K availability. The current almost universal use of exchangeable K measurements obtained by chemical extraction of dried soil for making fertilizer recommendations is questioned in view of other dominant controlling factors which influence K acquisition from soils by plants. The need to take account of the living root which determines spatial K availability is emphasized. Modelling of K acquisition by field crops is discussed. The part played by K in most plant physiological processes is now well understood including the important role of K in retranslocation of photoassimilates needed for good crop quality. However, basic research is still needed to establish the role of K from molecular level to field management in plant stress situations in which K either acts alone or in combination with specific micronutrients. The emerging role of K in a number of biotic and abiotic stress situations is discussed including those of diseases and pests, frost, heat/drought, and salinity. Breeding crops which are highly efficient in uptake and internal use of K can be counterproductive because of the high demand for K needed to mitigate stress situations in farmers' fields. The same is true for the need of high K contents in human and animal diets where a high K/Na ratio is desirable. The application of these research findings to practical agriculture is of great importance. The very rapid progress which is being made in elucidating the role of K particularly in relation to stress signalling by use of modern molecular biological approaches is indicative of the need for more interaction between molecular biologists and agronomists for the benefit of agricultural practice. The huge existing body of scientific knowledge of practical value of K in soils and plants presents a major challenge to improving the dissemination of this information on a global scale for use of farmers. To meet this challenge closer cooperation between scientists, the agrochemical industry, extension services and farmers is essential.Keywords Potassium availability . Potassium micronutrient interaction . Spatial availability of potassium . K/Mg ratio . Abiotic stress . Biotic stress . Frost resistance . Food quality . K/Cd relations Plant Soil (2010) 335:155-180

The Effects of Fertilization on the Growth and Physiological Characteristics of Ginkgo biloba L.

“…A previous study showed that fertilization with K was causing a decreased allocation to roots, which enables increased growth in height and leaf number [38]. Moreover, the viewpoint that an optimal potassium nutrition status can reduce the effects of abiotic stresses, such as drought, heat, high light intensity, or salinity has been well established [14,39,40]. The characteristic of our study site is coastal sandy saline-alkali soil; thus, K fertilizer is essential in Yellow Sea Forest Park.…”

Foliar Applied Potassium and Zinc Enhances Growth and Yield Performance of Maize under Rainfed Conditions

“…Farooqi et al (2012) reported that soil and foliar applied potassium led to increment in the biological yield. This enhancement in biological yield is due to the role of potassium in translocation of photosynthates from higher concentration to low concentration (Romheld and Kirkby, 2010). It was observed that harvest index significantly enhanced with the integrated application of potassium on soil and foliage due to better enzyme activity and fertilizer use efficiency (Farooqi et al, 2012;Zarmehri et al, 2013).…”

An overview of measurements of radionuclides in foods of the Comunidad Valenciana (Spain)

“…This increasing is not an anomaly due to sampling, sample moisture condition or the sample preparation procedure since all samples are similarly collected and prepared. The reason may be the increasingly widespread use of fertilizers with high concentrations of potassium (Bolca, M et al, 2007;Römheld, V., Kirkby, E.A., 2010). Moreover, in order to check if any sampling site is significantly different to the rest, it has been calculated the mean value for each one with all available data for both oranges and lettuces.…”