Deficiencies in potassium, an essential nutrient for plants, may be hampering many cropping systems around the world.

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the International Fertilizer Association have therefore begun a joint initiative to fill in the knowledge gap about the extent and severity of potassium deficiency. The two-year project will compile and analyze a comprehensive inventory of global data on potassium for major crop systems around the world.

With that data and analysis in hand, countries will be better able to understand and address their potassium-related crop challenges, which remain poorly understood in many crop-growing regions. That progress can help advance the crop yields needed to meet the world’s growing food demand.

“This collaborative project will provide essential input to national agricultural research and extension programs on how to improve crop production through better nutrient management and fertilizer recommendation,” said Patricio Grassini, professor of agronomy and horticulture at Nebraska and one of the project’s principal investigators. “The project ultimately can bring benefits to a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers, researchers, policymakers and the agri-food sector.”

Walter Carciochi, a postdoctoral research associate in agronomy and horticulture at Nebraska, is coordinating the project’s outreach to a wide range of leading researchers in multiple countries to compile the needed data.

“The current project will use a variety of methods to diagnose potassium deficiencies, including on-farm nutrient balances, soil and plant analyses, and potassium omission trials,” Carciochi said. “Initially, the project will focus on main cropping systems in South and North America, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. We suspect that we will find potassium to be limiting to crop yield and quality in many of these regions.”

Continue this article on Nebraska Today.

Read the full article