Effect of Potassium on Growth and Nutrients Contents in Ornamental Bromeliad Cultured in Vitro

Nutrients uptake by silver vase bromeliad roots

“…The antagonism between nutrients is another sideeffect that can occur in several fertilized plants, where some elements compete for uptake and translocation channels within the plant and can lead to a decrease in other elements, especially for divalent cations such as calcium, magnesium and manganese (Rietra et al, 2017). This was already observed in epiphytic bromeliad A. blanchetiana when fertilized with high potassium concentration showing a decline in calcium, magnesium and sulfur contents in leaves, as result of antagonism effects (Tavares, et al, 2012).…”

“…K is a highly mobile element and required in large amounts to maintain the physiological functions in plants (Srivastava et al, 2020), and is essential for width expanding of leaves and enhance leaf thickness in the epiphytic bromeliad Guzmania lingulata, and contribute to increase tissue water storage, which is essential for the survival of the species (Lin and Yeh, 2008). The fertilization with K increases leaf length, number of roots and enhance the biomass production of leaves, stem and roots on Aechmea blanchetiana (Tavares et al, 2012). In our study, the increase in N and K contents in silver vase bromeliad leaves demonstrate that these nutrients were effectively uptake by roots, translocated and incorporated into the leaves.…”