The combination of nanotechnology and potassium: Applications in agriculture

Abstract Potassium fertilizer is essential to ensure crop production and thus global food supply and safe fertilizer. Potassium resources are mainly located in the Northern Hemisphere, and as a result, there is currently a scarcity of cheap potash and severe soil deficiencies in some areas of the Southern Hemisphere. There is a shift from mined salts to locally available potassium resources. such as silicates containing K, may be an option to improve this situation. The goal of increasing crop productivity and improving quality dictates an increase in potassium availability or a efficient use of potassium. The development of plants that use potassium more efficiently may be a valuable goal for geneticists. Nanomaterials are increasingly used in people's working life as a new type of material, and this technology is gradually being applied in agriculture with a view to increase crop yields and reduce environmental pollution. This paper reviews the applications of common potassium-containing materials and the effects and mechanisms of nano-fertilizers on plants, and also gives an outlook on the future applications of nano-potassium fertilizers in agriculture, and also hopes that it can provide a reference for more researchers working in this field.