Introduction to the Application of Potassium Nitrate for Agricultural Use

Agricultural potassium nitrate is a kind of high-quality chemical fertilizer, which can be divided into high-quality products and first-class products. The quality products contain 13.5% nitrogen, 46.5% potassium oxide, 13.5% nitrogen and 44.5% potassium oxide. Among the three nutrient elements of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium needed by crops, potassium nitrate contains two nutrient elements of nitrogen and potassium, and its water solubility is good. It can be applied in irrigation, spraying, drip irrigation, infiltration irrigation, etc., and can also be used as base fertilizer. Potassium nitrate can be fully absorbed and utilized by crops. Compared with potassium fertilizer such as potassium chloride and potassium sulfate, it will not form residual harmful substances such as chloride ion and sulfate ion in soil. It is very suitable to use this fertilizer in crop production in greenhouse, which is conducive to delaying the process of soil salinization in greenhouse. In addition, grapes, potatoes, sugar beet, sugarcane, tobacco and other crops are chlorine-avoiding crops. Potassium chloride should not be applied. Potassium nitrate is beneficial to avoid the harm of chlorine and improve the yield and quality of agricultural products.

Nitrogen-containing fertilizers such as urea, ammonium carbonate, diammonium phosphate and ammonium nitrate are highly volatile, which are easy to volatilize on soil surface and cause air damage to crops when applied in enclosed space such as greenhouse (ammonia vaporized will cause harm to crop in greenhouse). Nitrogen in potassium nitrate exists as nitrate, which is often called nitrate. Nitrogen, volatility is very weak, even if applied on the soil surface will not appear too much nitrogen volatilization. Of course, potassium in potassium nitrate, like potassium in potassium fertilizers such as potassium chloride, is easily fixed by the soil lattice under alternating wet and dry conditions and becomes slow-acting potassium or ineffective potassium that is not easily absorbed by crops, so it is not suitable to apply fertilizer on dry soil surface.

Generally speaking, potassium nitrate is a very suitable fertilizer for greenhouse production. In terms of price, although potassium nitrate is about 30% higher than potassium sulfate, compared with potassium sulfate of the same weight, the content of potassium in potassium nitrate is 1.5 times higher than that in potassium sulfate, and potassium nitrate also contains nitrogen nutrients, so the relative cost of applying potassium nitrate is lower. Users should apply potassium nitrate to the extent of adequate potassium fertilizer according to the situation of potassium nutrition abundant and deficient in soil in greenhouse, and the other nitrogen nutrients should be supplemented by ammonium carbonate, urea, organic fertilizer and other fertilizers.