Enhancing Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Productivity: Exploring the Significance of Potassium Nutrition
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Effects of Potassium on Growth, Yield, and Yield Quality of the Alfalfa Plant
3. Potassium’s Significance in Alfalfa Production under Abiotic Stress Condition
3.1. Salinity
3.2. Drought
3.3. Temperature Stress
4. Deficiency of Potassium in Alfalfa Production
5. Mitigating Potassium Deficiency for Optimized Alfalfa Production
6. Sources of Potassium in Soil
- Mineral or structural form: A major portion of soil K, accounts for 90–98% of the total K in the soil in the mineral structure
- Non-exchangeable (fixed) form or relatively unavailable form: The difference from the mineral form is that it is not bonded within the crystal structure of soil mineral particles. It is present within clay minerals in a 2:1 ratio
- Exchangeable form or slowly available form: Contributes 1–10% of the K in soil. Exchangeable potassium is approximately 90% of the available K. Usually the ratio of exchangeable K to total K is under 2%
- Water soluble form: Only accounts for 0.1–2% of the total potassium in soil and is made up of potassium dissolved in the soil and held in the exchange position of the clay and organic matter.
7. Availability, Uptake, and Transport of Potassium in the Alfalfa Plant
8. Factors Affecting Potassium Availability and Absorption in the Alfalfa Plant
8.1. Soil Moisture
8.2. Soil Temperature
8.3. Soil Aeration
8.4. Soil pH, Clay Minerals and Cation Exchange Capacity
8.5. Genetic Variation
8.6. Management Practices
9. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Parameters | Effects of K Supply | References |
---|---|---|
Growth parameters | Improved shoot height | [25,49] |
Enhanced growth persistence | [21,25] | |
Increased root weight | [25] | |
Maximized population densities | [49] | |
Unaltered plant stand population | [50] | |
Increased growth by 80% | [51] | |
Yield parameters | Increased herbage yield | [21,25,40,49] |
Decreased herbage yield | [26] | |
Not impacted leaf–stem ratio | [31] | |
Maximized nodulation and leaf–stem ratio | [40] | |
Increased dry matter yield by 7% | [52] | |
Quality parameters | Decreased starch and non-structural carbohydrates in root | [53] |
Increased protein, amino-N, and RNA | [21] | |
Improved total root non-structural carbohydrate | [21,25] | |
Increased crude protein (37.7%), nitrogen (9.79%), phosphorus (0.51%) and soluble sugar (324.75%) | [54] | |
Reduced sodium and malondialdehyde by 0.49% and 55.94% respectively | [54] | |
Reduced forage nutritive value | [26] | |
Minimized copper (Cu) content of forage yield | [55] | |
Reduced boron (B), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), and magnesium (Mg) concentration of plant | [31] | |
Increased potassium (K) concentration of herbage | [31] | |
Enhanced K removal in total herbage by 30 to 58% | [31] |
K Sources | Chemical Formula | K2O (%) | K (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Potassium nitrate | KNO3 | 44 | 37 |
Potassium sulfate | K2SO4 | 50 | 42 |
Potassium magnesium sulfate | K2SO4·2MgSO4 | 22 | 19 |
Potassium carbonate | K2CO3KHCO3 | 56 | 46 |
Potassium sodium nitrate | KNa(NO3)2 | 46 | 38 |
Potassium hydroxide | KOH | 90 | 75 |
Potassium chloride | KCl | 60 | 51 |
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Appiah, E.A.; Balla-Kovács, A.; Ocwa, A.; Csajbók, J.; Kutasy, E. Enhancing Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Productivity: Exploring the Significance of Potassium Nutrition. Agronomy 2024, 14, 1806. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081806
Appiah EA, Balla-Kovács A, Ocwa A, Csajbók J, Kutasy E. Enhancing Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Productivity: Exploring the Significance of Potassium Nutrition. Agronomy. 2024; 14(8):1806. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081806
Chicago/Turabian StyleAppiah, Ebenezer Ayew, Andrea Balla-Kovács, Akasairi Ocwa, József Csajbók, and Erika Kutasy. 2024. "Enhancing Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Productivity: Exploring the Significance of Potassium Nutrition" Agronomy 14, no. 8: 1806. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081806