POTASH AS AN ESSENTIAL CROP NUTRIENT
By: Evan Lucyk
Potash can be defined as a group of chemicals and minerals that contain potassium. Since potassium is essential for plant functioning and thriving, potassium in the form of potash is often added to fertilizers. Approximately 95% of potash mined is used to support plant growth. Today, we will be discussing the function of potash as an essential crop nutrient.
Plants and crops require several major nutrients to thrive. After nitrogen and phosphorous, potassium is the third major nutrient needed for prime functioning. However, because elemental potassium does not occur in nature due to its violent reaction with water, potassium can be a bit tougher for plants to soak up without a bit of intervention. Approximately 2.6% of the Earth’s crust by mass is made up of potassium, making it the seventh most abundant element. Similar in its abundance in the Earth’s core, sodium makes up approximately 1.8% of the crust.
Potassium in the form of potash is vital for use by many agricultural workers and producers. Since potash improves water retention, yield, nutrient value, colour, taste, texture, and disease resistance in food crops, the nutrients’ benefits are vast.
Many of the world’s vital crops such as fruit and vegetables, rice, wheat, and other grains, sugar, corn, soybeans, palm oil, and cotton are fed with Saskatchewan potash. These crops thrive with the quality-enhancing nature of potash-based fertilizer. The high potash yield in the province makes potash a heavily exported product for Saskatchewan’s mining industry. The benefits are being felt worldwide as Saskatchewan potash helps produce plumper, tastier, and more nutritious crops.
As global populations reach record highs, demand for food crops and animal feed has been rising since the turn of the century. In fact, a lot of the increase in the use of potash-based fertilizer can be attributed to increased use in Asia and Latin America. As incomes in these countries continued to rise, people were able to consume more meat and dairy in their diets, which required an increase in animal feed planted and, thus, potash used.
Currently, the largest consumers of potash are China, the United States, Brazil, and India. In Brazil alone, 90% of the potash used is imported. Because the global demand for potash remains so high, Saskatchewan potash miners have a sort of export safety blanket for the mineral. At Bit Service, we are happy to help Saskatchewan miners safely and effectively extract potash ore from the area by providing world-class service and expertise.