Potassium acts within the transport system of plants and has a number of important functions in plant growth including protein production and the efficiency of photosynthesis. Potassium is vital for regulating water supply and affects turgor pressure in the plant helping to strengthen it, reducing lodging and making it less susceptible to disease. There is an essential need for adequate supply of plant available K in soils for crops to achieve their optimum economic yield with applied N. With an increase in the availability of N in the soil, arable crops produce more and/or larger leaves. Thus maximising growth and dry matter production.

Sub clinical deficiency symptoms in arable crops include weakened stems, which can lead to lodging, flaccid leaves and increased drought susceptibility. More severe symptoms can include scorching along leaf tips and margins.

Potassium is one of the major soil cations and is held on the charged sites of clay minerals, thus its presence in soil is largely determined by the clay content and soil texture. Similarly as with nitrogen it is taken up in large quantities during the rapid growth phases in spring and early summer.

Sometimes more Potash can be taken up than is required for full DM yield, this is commonly called ‘luxury uptake’. An adequate supply is essential to maximise yields from applied nitrogen; however there can be dangers to animal health if excess potassium is supplied with an increased risk of Hypomagnesaemia. The potash in Cropkare is only 50% soluble in water, which reduces the occurrence of luxury uptake. Grass management will affect the rate required, as the potash removed in a crop is proportional to the yield. In cereals most of the potassium will have been taken up by ear emergence.

Cropkare can replace potash removed by crops and replenishes soil with secondary and trace elements essential for crop growth.