Potassium Deficiency in Soils and Crops An Emerging Problem in Karnataka

摘要

Potassium is the most important nutrient for plant growth. It is involved in large number of physiological processes like osmoregulation and cation-anion balance, protein synthesis and activation of enzymes. Being a major inorganic solute, it plays a key role in the water balance of plants. Many of these physiological roles are related to the high mobility of K at all levels in the plant. Large rates of K uptake (luxury consumption) can be attributed to its high mobility due to the large permeability of cell membranes to K-ions, which arise from the occurrence of a range of highly K selective, low and high affinity ion channels and transporters.