Abstract
Potassium was discovered in 1807 by Sir Humphry Davy in England. The letter K, which is used to symbolize potassium, has been derived from the Latin word “Kalium.” Prior to the industrialization, soap was manufactured by burning wood and other organic matter in the pot. The ashes obtained after burning of organic matter and wood were washed or purified, allowing the water to evaporate, in this fashion, leaving residues of K salts. At that time people called these collected residues as “pot ashes or potash” and they were further boiled with animal fat to make soap. Afterward, a botanist named Samuel William Jackson, analyzed the ashes in 1868, after burning of plants. Jackson distinguished K and numerous other minerals in these ashes, and his findings lead toward the use of K fertilizer to boost crop growth and yield. The first patent about an improved potash production method was issued by the government of the USA.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Almodares A, Taheri R, Chung IM, Fathi M (2008) The effect of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers on growth parameters and carbohydrate contents of sweet sorghum cultivars. J Environ Biol 29:849–852
Arnon DI, Stout PR (1939) The essentiality of certain elements in minute quantity for plants with special reference to copper. Plant Physiol 42:371–385
Ashley MK, Grant M, Grabov A (2006) Plant responses to potassium deficiencies: a role for potassium transport proteins. J Exp Botany 57(2):425–436
Askegaard M, Eriksen J, Johnston AE (2004) Sustainable management of potassium. In: Schjorring P, Elmholt S, Christensen BT (eds) Managing soil quality: challenges in modern agriculture. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, pp 85–102
Beede RH, Brown PH, Kallsen C, Weinbaum SA (2005) Diagnosing and correcting nutrient deficiencies. Pistachio production manual, 4th edn. Ferguson L. University of California, Davis
Chrispeels MJ, Crawford NM, Schroeder JI (1999) Proteins for transport of water and mineral nutrients across the membranes of plant cells. Plant Cell 11:661–676
Hawker JS, Marschner H, Downton WJS (1974) Effects of sodium and potassium on starch synthesis in leaves. Aust J Plant Physiol 1:491–501
Hu W, Liu Y, Loka DA, Zahoor Z, Wang S, Zhou Z (2019) Drought limits pollen tube growth rate by altering carbohydrate metabolism in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) pistils. Plant Sci 286:108–117
Johnson AE, Goulding KW (1990). The use of plant and soil analysis to predict the potassium supplying capacity of soil. In: Development of K-fertilizer recommendations: proceedings 22nd Colloquium of the International Potash Institute, p 177–204
Lynch JP (2019) Root phenotypes for improved nutrient capture: an underexploited opportunity for global agriculture. New Phytol 223:548–564
Marschner P (2012) Marschner’s mineral nutrition of higher plants, vol 89. Academic Press, Oxford
Mengel K (2007) Potassium. In: Barker AV, Pilbeam DJ (eds) Handbook of plant nutrition. Taylor & Francis, Boca Ratan, FL
Mengel K, Kirkby EA (2001) Principles of plant nutrition, 5th edn. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht
Miller C (1993) Potassium selectivity in proteins: oxygen cage or pi in the face. Science 261:1692–1693
Oosterhuis DM, Loka DA, Raper TB (2014) Potassium and stress alleviation: physiological functions and management of cotton. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 176:1–13
Pettigrew WT (2008) Potassium influences on yield and quality production for maize, wheat, soybean and cotton. Physiol Plantarum 133:670–681
Raddatz N, de los Ríos LM, Lindahl M, Quintero FJ, Pardo JM (2020) Coordinated transport of nitrate, potassium, and sodium. Front Plant Sci 11:247
Rehm G, Schmitt M (2002) Potassium for crop production. http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/nutrient management/potassium/potassium-for-crop-production/.
Schubert S (2006) Pflanzenernahrung. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart
Taiz L, Zeiger E (2010) Plant physiology, 5th edn. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA
Thomas TC, Thomas AC (2009) Vital role of potassium in the osmotic mechanism of stomata aperture modulation and its link with potassium deficiency. Plant Signal Behav 4(3):240–243
Uchida R (2000) Essential nutrients for plant growth: nutrient functions and deficiency symptoms. In: Plant nutrient management in Hawaii’s soils. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii, Manoapp, pp 31–55
Van Brunt JM, Sultenfuss JH (1998) Better crops with plant food. Potassium: functions of potassium 82(3):4–5
Wang M, Zheng Q, Shen Q, Guo S (2013) The critical role of potassium in plant stress response. Int J Mol Sci 14:7370–7390
Yamaguchi T, Blumwald E (2005) Developing salt-tolerant crop plants: challenges and opportunities. Trends Plant Sci 10:615–620
Yang J, Hu W, Zhao W, Chen B, Wang Y, Zhou Z, Meng Y (2016) Fruiting branch K+ level affects cotton fiber elongation through osmoregulation. Front Plant Sci 7:13
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wakeel, A., Ishfaq, M. (2022). Potassium in Plants. In: Potash Use and Dynamics in Agriculture. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6883-8_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6883-8_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-6882-1
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-6883-8
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)