Effects of potassium on organs growth and uptake, distribution and balance of mineral nutrient in cotton young seedlings
The effects of different K levels (0.05,0.2,0.8,3.2,12.8 mmol · L-1) on organs (root,stem and leaves) growth and uptake,distribution and balance of K,Ca,Mg,Fe and B in cotton young seedlings were investigated under hydroponics.With increasing K level,K uptake and content were significantly enhanced and K content in stem was obviously higher than that in leaves;dry matter of whole plant significantly increased and then decreased;stem was most sensitive to K deficit or surplus among the three organs.Successive addition of K increased and then inhibited Ca and Mg uptake,inhibited and then increased Fe uptake,enhanced B uptake and lowered respective content of Ca,Mg,Fe and B in three organs,which respectively and significantly happened at the same or different K levels.K supply changed the relative distribution of each element among the root,stem and leaf,but fundamentally did not change their distribution patterns;significantly lowered Ca/K,Mg/K,Fe/K and B/K ratios at three organs (except for Fe/K value at 12.8 mmol · L-1 K) and Fe/B ratio in the stem,but significantly increased Ca/Mg ratio in both stem and leaf.