Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s leading producers of fertilizers such as potassium. As the war worsened, Russia recommended that local producers suspend exports of fertilizers to the rest of the world, creating global tension.
In an interview on the BBC channel, Svein Tore Holsether, Yara International CEO, one of the largest fertilizer companies in the world, said, “Half of the world’s population obtain their food thanks to the use of fertilizers, and if this is taken away from crops, the agriculture production could fall to 50%.”
Just like human beings, plants need food to grow healthy. The soil provides these foods, which is a storehouse of substances on which plants feed. These substances are the nutrients that work as fuel for plant life.
Don’t Judge Each Day by the Harvest You Reap but by the Seeds that you Plant.
– Robert Louis Stevenson
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Classification Of Nutrients
Nutrients are classified into two groups: macro and micronutrients.
As the name suggests, macronutrients are the elements that plants need most, being absorbed in high amounts. While micronutrients are consumed in smaller quantities.
The macronutrients are Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.
The main micronutrients are Boron, Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Copper, Molybdenum, and Chlorine.
The importance of micronutrients can best be explained by the analogy of a barrel.
In a barrel, every plank or stave is 100% necessary and needed to retain the contents of the barrel. Like each stave of a barrel, every micronutrient is 100% required for healthy plant growth.
By acting together, macro and micronutrients are essential for developing plants, leaves, flowers, and fruits.
When the soil does not have these nutrients in the required amounts, fertilizers come into action.
These fertilizers can be organic, such as manure or chemicals extracted by mining companies. Each type of fertilizer has its particularities.
Organics respond slowly to the needs of plants and are used in smaller crops, while chemicals are applied on a large scale where an immediate effect on vegetables is needed.
Potassium is an essential mineral for plant growth. This element is the second most important macronutrient in farming, after Nitrogen. To give you an idea, for every ton of soybeans, 20 kg of potassium is extracted from the soil.
Main Responsibilities in Plants
Its sources can be organic composts like manure, wood ashes, banana peels, and eggshells, among others. Potassium can also be produced from ore in underground mines.
Potassium helps plants by promoting water absorption, acting on photosynthesis, regulating the transport of sugars and other nutrients from leaves to storage organs such as grains, fruits, and roots, and boosting plant resistance to cold, pests, and diseases.
A lack of potassium in soils will inhibit root, plant, and fruit growth and delay flowering. In severe deficiencies, the leaves begin to necrosis until they drop.
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I hope this article has helped you understand how works food chain. To learn more, take a look at What Is A Hydroponic System?
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