| Abstract: | Nutrient efficiency is defined as the ability of plants to obtain higher relative yields at low nutrient supply compared to other species. The size of the root system, the physiology of uptake and the ability of plants to increase K solubility in the rhizosphere are considered as mechanisms of uptake efficiency. In a solution experiment wheat and sugar beet were more K efficient than potato because wheat had a large root system and both species had an efficient uptake physiology. Also in soil wheat was uptake efficient because of a large root system, whereas the efficiency of sugar beet was caused by the ability to increase K solubility. This could be shown by the use of a model to describe K dynamics in the rhizosphere. |
