Potassium Heterogeneous Distribution in Soil and Its Uptake by Zea mays l.

Potassium (K) is an essential nutrient on the growth and development of plants. This study investigated the uptake of potassium by Zea mays in heterogeneous soil distribution towards increasing the availability of this nutrient in plants, animals and human foods. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted with Zea mays grown under control, (0mg/kg K added) homogeneous (100mg/kg K added), and heterogeneous (stimulated realistic heterogeneity) of K for 6 weeks after germination and initial establishment for 4 weeks. Shoots and root at harvest were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS), Thermos Fisher Scientific Model 3000 ICE after acid digestion with Nitric acid. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 25 for windows, deploying appropriate statistical tools. The mean shoot K concentration in control, homogenous and heterogeneous treatment were 11460±250mg/kg, 1401±117mg/kg and 11188±222mg/kg respectively while the mean root K concentration in control, homogenous and heterogeneous treatment were 11581±96mg/kg, 12018±286mg/kg, and 8066.2±1468mg/kg respectively. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) in the root and shoot potassium concentrations between treatments. However, the root potassium concentration of the control treatment was two to three times as much as that of the homogenous and heterogeneous treatments. The homogenous shoot potassium concentration was the lowest 1401±117mg/kg and two times higher than that of the control and heterogeneous treatments which suggest low translocation of potassium from the roots to the shoot in homogenous soil condition. Potassium concentration on all treatments were 2 to 3 times as high the WHO standard limit which may pose health risk. However, the risk depends on the frequency of consumption and the plant part consumed. The concentration factor (CF) for control, homogeneous, and heterogeneous were 0.84, 0.69 and 0.10 respectively. The concentration factor (CF) did not differ between treatments. This study showed that this Zea mays plants uptake potassium from varying soil conditions and effectively translocate them to the above ground. This has implications for approving the availability of those nutrients in plants and animals.