Potassium is one of the most used crop inputs. Redox Lead Agronomist John Kelly says it also represents a key opportunity for growers to improve their bottom line.

“I often feel like of all of the macronutrients, potassium is the one nutrient that represents opportunities in crops,” he said. “In other words, better potassium nutrition can enhance yield and quality.”

Potassium regulates water and nutrient uptake, and movement within the plant. It also plays a key role in plant charge balance. The plant must balance itself electrically, with an equal amount of negatively and positively charged elements. Potassium is responsible for about 80 percent of the positive charge. When it’s out of balance, the plant must allocate excessive resources, excessive energy in getting back into balance. In the process of doing that, yield and quality potential are diminished.

Kelly said applying more potassium isn’t always the best solution in growing crops.

Early season crop growth, during the cell wall formation stage, an oversupply of potassium can effectively block other positively charged elements, from being taken up in the plant, harming crop quality.

Kelly said improving soil health is a crucial ingredient in crop performance, and inputs and practices can improve it very quickly.

He said more growers are taking positive steps in this direction.

“We’re seeing less about just throwing pounds out without any regard for timing or input, and targeting input and performance,” Kelly said. “When it comes to potassium, you can really up the performance potential of those crops.”

N, P and K are standard inputs on farms across the U.S., but new scientific understandings can make a huge difference their efficient use.

Phosphorus is fundamental to everything in the plant. It facilitates the transfer of sunlight energy to chemical energy that leads to plant growth.

A lot of phosphorus applied in fields gets tied up and never makes it to the plant. This inefficiency is a growing concern on efficiency and environmental fronts.

Redox Lead Agronomist John Kelly said Rootex™ provides an excellent source of phosphorus with biostimulants. The combination stimulates lateral root branching and increases specialized proteins in the root system, which promote drought stress tolerance.

Kelly said Redox technology brings efficiency and helps farm profitability.

“While it’s great to understand the technology, the thing that gets me most excited is the consistency of these benefits across crops and professional turf grass,” he said. “The efficiency is there, and the consistency of performance is there.”

Many growers seeking success for the long term continually look for the best technology, including plant nutrition. Bio-stimulants are a promising frontier for many, and greater scientific understanding of what they can do is helping the process.

Distinguished professor Dr. Patrick Brown of UC Davis is one of the world’s foremost bio-stimulant experts. He’s the chair of this year’s Biostimulants World Congress, and said greater understanding of specific biostimulant benefits is crucial to their adoption. He said many bio-stimulant products have been sold with broad statements, which won’t be sufficient moving forward.

“I think there’s an innate recognition and interest amongst farmers that a more biological approach would be useful, and at least a hope, if not yet a belief, that bio-stimulants might be part of that solution,” Brown said.