Potassium: ameliorate the adverse effect of climate change and drought

Research work of the past years on climatic policy in India lead to the conclusion that a gradual warming, reduction of the precipitation and a larger variability in the weather extremities are to be expected in India in the long run impacting vegetation and socio-agronomic growth negatively. The rise in temperature is also playing havoc with India’s rainfall which is significant for India’s agriculture sector on which billions are dependent. The report noted that the summer monsoon precipitation (June to September) over India has declined by more than six percent from 1951 to 2018, with notable decrease over the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the Western Ghats. It stressed that the overall decrease of seasonal summer monsoon rainfall during the last 6–7 decades has led to an increased inclination for droughts over India. Approximately 72% of cultivated land in India is rain fed largely due to inadequate precipitation and erratic rainfall resulting in reduced crop. In the post green revolution period, water stress problem is a major concern affecting the agriculture production. To increase the present yield level understanding various physiological process which are negatively affected due to drought condition is a matter of great concern. Poor monsoon and extended dry condition during critical growth period have a devasting influences on the crop performance. The production of the cereals and pulses could not be increased per unit area because even today 60-70% of the crops are grown under rain fed condition. High yields under such conditions need extra supply of nitrogen. Potassium, being a major plant nutrient which influences the water economy and crop growth through its effects on water uptake, root growth, maintenance of turgor, transpiration andstomatal regulation. Moreover, adequate potassium nutrition helps in increasing crop tolerance to water stress and promote root growth and results in better uptake of nutrients and water.