Essay on The Importance of Potassium in Plants

Potassium works with sodium to regulate the body’s water balance. The kidneys help to control the blood pressure by controlling the amount of fluid stored in the body. Therefore, the more fluid then the higher the blood pressure is. The kidneys do this by filtering out the blood and extracting any extra fluid, which then is stored in the bladder as urine. This is done very delicately as both sodium and potassium pull the water across the wall of the cells from the bloodstream into a collecting channel that leads to the bladder. When eating to much salt, the amount of sodium in the bloodstream will be imbalanced compared to the amount of potassium and thus reducing the ability of the kidneys remove the extra fluid. Eating more fruit and vegetables, the potassium levels increase and can help restore the chemical imbalance. However, there is a possibility of too much potassium, also known as hyperkalemia, which can lead to other issues like renal failure.

If a person is not absorbing nutrients adequately, a blood test will detect this lack of nutrient absorption resulting in the decreased of iron absorption. Also, this inability to absorb certain nutrients may cause vitamin deficiencies. These deficiencies deprive the brain, peripheral nervous system, bones, liver and other organs of vital nourishment (Dugdale III, Longstreth, & Zieve, 2010).

The pH of soil is important for the absorption of nutrients into the plant. Of the 17 needed plant nutrients 14 of them are acquired through the soil. Acidity is needed to break down and dissolve these nutrients. The nutrients are able to dissolve into the soil faster when the acid is acting as a solute. Another way the pH affects the soil is by influencing microorganisms. The bacteria is crucial in the growth and development of the plant, the bacteria’s role is to break down and decompose organic matter in the soil. If the pH of the soil is too high the acid will slow down and eventually stop the microorganisms. Most plants ideal pH is between 6-7, slightly acidic. Many plants are outliers and thrive in pH such as carrots and corn, which can withstand pH as low as 5.5. If the pH of the soil is too high for the desired crop farmers can add material such as limestone, and wood ashes to raise the pH to the desired level. The pH of the soil can also be changed naturally through the leaching of calcium, magnesium and sodium by rainwater. Carbon dioxide from rotting organic matter can also increase the pH of the soil. Acids can also be created organically in the form of sulfuric and nitric

Enzymes are biological catalysts, which accelerate the speed of chemical reactions in the body without being used up or changed in the process. Animals and plants contain enzymes which help break down fats, carbohydrates and proteins into smaller molecules the cells can use to get energy and carry out the processes that allow the plant or animal to survive. Without enzymes, most physiological processes would not take place. Hundreds of different types of enzymes are present in plant and animal cells and each is very specific in its function.

The capability to withstand water shortages and the havoc caused by the harvest passes makes the plants to mature early with its productivity level being high. Regions suffering from food shortages can only undergo starvation for short period before it can start to enjoy the food. On the other hand, the abovementioned advantages make farmers engage in profitable farming business with the low level of costs of farm inputs and high outputs. This aspect benefits not only the farmers but also the population that stands to enjoy a large variety of food stuff at their disposal.

Norman Shealy, symptoms can be subtle initially. Most of the magnesium is stored in our tissue, twitching and itching is frequently a first symptom. Additionally, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue are symptoms that are commonly in the early stages of deficiency.

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is a key nutrient for plants and it is involved in a myriad of metabolic processes and functions that allow their growth and development. Since it is such an important nutrient its uptake, transport, storage and usage are tightly regulated. Never the less the reduced availability of Pi in the ground is a mayor limiting factor. When phosphate starvation occurs the plant has to adapt to survive. Such stress triggers a distinct phenotype in the root such as an increase in root hair length and density, as well as an increase in the ratio root/shoot and proliferation of lateral roots. The changes in root architecture are also accompanied by changes in metabolic processes such as photosynthesis, glycolysis, carbon fixation,

Calcium and Potassium modifications are specialized individual according to a specific disease, age and inadequate amounts of calcium or potassium higher or lower than normal value.

Potassium is a necessary intracellular ion, found in each cell membrane, playing a vital role in the normal functioning of nerve and muscle cells. It is crucial for proper fluid balance in the body by countering the effect of sodium and creates an electrical charge across the cell membrane. This is important as it allows nerves to conduct electrical impulses to communicate between muscles and cells to contract. A majority is found inside muscle tissue, and the balance between sodium and potassium ions is crucial to maintain an electrical gradient which works to transport substances in/out the cell and transmit nerve signals which consequently trigger muscle contractions.

Excessive potassium consumption, cell hypoxia, or insulin deficiency will cause a shift of the potassium of the intracellular fluid of the cell into the extracellular fluid of the body. Anuria and oliguria will cause the excess of potassium consumption due to the lack of potassium excretion through the urine. Cell hypoxia is a result of burns, massive crush injuries, and extensive surgeries causing cell membrane permeability. Type 2 Diabetics mellitus is a result of insulin deficiency. All of these can result in hyperkalemia which can be directly associated with acidosis. Symptoms of hyperkalemia can result in anxiety, numbness, cardiac arrest, bradycardia and cardiac arrhythmias. Unlike hypokalemia, spikes along the T wave, prolonged PR interval, an absent P wave with a QRS development are the indicators of potassium deficiency within the cell. This type of shift causes hyperpolarization within the cell membrane which will increase repolarization and the rate of recurrence of action

Unexplained fatigue, brittle, dry hair, ridged or spoon shaped nails, mouth problems, diarrhea, irritability or lack or appetite can all indicate nutrient deficiencies

To implement Biochemical change there needs to be use of Hybrid seed selection causing increased yields of wheat, rice and maize. Fertilizers are used to increase yield and

Potassium is crucial to heart function, important for normal digestive and muscular function. It is the primary positive ion (cation) found inside body cells that it is essential for normal cell function. The proper function of the body requires 8% electrolytes in the bones,90% in skin intracellular fluid and 2% in extracellular fluid. Buttarro, et. al., (2017) mentioned that the human body average potassium is about 50 mEq/kg and normal blood potassium level is 3.5 - 5.0 milliEquivalents/liter (mEq/L). The decrease in potassium level is known as Hypokalemia; it profoundly affects the nervous system and heart, and when extreme may lead to sever complication or death (Buttarro et. al., 2017). Hypokalemia is a possible life-threatening imbalance that in some cases are acquired through inducing drugs (iatrogenic), genetic, endocrine, vascular and renal disorders (Butarro et. al.,

Humans depend on plants in numerous ways. One reason we depend on plants is for consumption. Plants have the unique ability of producing their own food through a process called photosynthesis. In this process, plants are able to produce macromolecules such as carbohydrates that cannot be produced in animals or humans. In humans, the only to gain these macromolecules is to consume plant matter, or consume plant-eating animals (herbivores).

The plants that grow in saline soils have diverse ionic compositions and a range in concentrations of dissolved salts (Volkmar et al., 1998). These concentrations fluctuate because of changes in water source, drainage, evapo-transpiration, and solute availability (Volkmar et al., 1998). Due to these varying conditions, plant growth depends on a supply of inorganic nutrients, and this level of nutrients varies in time and space (Maathius and Amtmann, 1999). Either extreme condition concerning nutrients results in deficiency or toxicity in plants, and this is demonstrated by salt tolerance (Maathius and Amtmann, 1999). These conditions vary according to the plant species and growth conditions. Little is known about the genetic basis for diversity of salt tolerance in plants, and this could be partly explained through the definitions given for salinity.