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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.
A potassium-deficient grape leaf. Potassium deficiency, also known as potash deficiency, is a plant disorder that is most common on light, sandy soils, because potassium ions (K +) are highly soluble and will easily leach from soils without colloids. [ 1 ] Potassium deficiency is also common in chalky or peaty soils with a low clay content.
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.
Potassium is the third major plant and crop nutrient after nitrogen and phosphorus. It has been used since antiquity as a soil fertilizer (about 90% of current use). [10] Fertilizer use is the main driver behind potash consumption, especially for its use in fertilizing crops that contribute to high-protein diets.
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 ...
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]
Curing is any of various food preservation and flavoring processes of foods such as meat, fish and vegetables, by the addition of salt, with the aim of drawing moisture out of the food by the process of osmosis. Because curing increases the solute concentration in the food and hence decreases its water potential, the food becomes inhospitable ...