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Infobox references. Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with a sharp, salty, bitter taste and the chemical formula K N O 3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K + and nitrate ions NO 3−, and is therefore an alkali metal nitrate. It occurs in nature as a mineral, niter (or nitre outside the US). [ 5 ]
A farmer spreading manure to improve soil fertility. A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments.
The amount of potassium in a soil may be as much as 80,000 lb per acre-foot, of which only 150 lb is available for plant growth. Common mineral sources of potassium are the mica biotite and potassium feldspar, KAlSi 3 O 8. Rhizosphere bacteria, also called rhizobacteria, contribute through the production of organic acids to its solubilization. [87]
Plant nutrition. Plant nutrition is the study of the chemical elements and compounds necessary for plant growth and reproduction, plant metabolism and their external supply. In its absence the plant is unable to complete a normal life cycle, or that the element is part of some essential plant constituent or metabolite.
The NPK analysis label. Fertilizers are usually labeled with three numbers, as in 18-20-10, indicating the relative content of the primary macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), respectively. More precisely, the first number ("N value") is the percentage of elemental nitrogen by weight in the fertilizer; that is, the ...
Plants obtain minerals from soil. [6] Animals ingest plants, thus moving minerals up the food chain. Larger organisms may also consume soil (geophagia) or use mineral resources such as salt licks to obtain minerals. Finally, although mineral and elements are in many ways synonymous, minerals are only bioavailable to the extent that they can be ...
t. e. In agriculture, leaching is the loss of water-soluble plant nutrients from the soil, due to rain and irrigation. Soil structure, crop planting, type and application rates of fertilizers, and other factors are taken into account to avoid excessive nutrient loss. Leaching may also refer to the practice of applying a small amount of excess ...
Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at seventh in total abundance in the Milky Way and the Solar System. At standard temperature and pressure, two atoms of the element bond to form N 2, a colourless and odourless diatomic ...