The Enhancing Effect of Potassium Humate onCrops’Stress Resistance

1. Its Effect on Drought Resistance:
Under drought conditions, the application of potassium humate can promote the increase of proline content in plant leaves, promote the water-retention capacity of plant cells, and at the same time improve the activities of plant cell protective enzymes (nitrate reductase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase) enzymes, etc.) as well as  reduce cytoplasmic membrane permeability, thus to  improve comprehensivelythe drought resistance of crops.

2. Its Effect on Resistance Against Salt and Alkali
Potassium humate can indirectly improve the stress tolerance and stress resistance of various plants by improving the physical and chemical properties of soil. In addition, it can also enhance crops’ salt and alkali resistance by regulating their fructose concentration, so that the damage done to crop membrane by salt and alkali can be greatly alleviated.

3. Its Effect on Resistance AgainstHigh or Low Temperatures
Under low temperature, potassium humate can increase the content of proline content and abscisic acid in crops, enhance the activity of polyphenol oxidase, attenuate the reduction of plant transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and net photosynthetic rate and enhance their cold resistancein low temperature.

Potassium humate also performs well under high temperature. Activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase have been improved, reducing the production rate of superoxide anion and the content of hydrogen peroxideand thus enhancing the heat resistance of crops.

4. ItsEffect on Resistance Against Heavy Metals
Potassium humate contains a variety of functional groups, which can fix heavy metals on the surface of soil particles through complexation, chelation and reduction, thereby affecting their migration, reducing their water-soluble stateas well as toxicity. At the same time, potassium humate can also alleviate the toxic effect of heavy metals, like cadmium, on seedlings. The main mechanism is to inhibit seedlings’ absorption of cadmium and promote their absorption and accumulation of copper, zinc, iron, manganese and other nutrients.

5. Its Effect on Disease Resistance
Potassium humate can promote crop growth by increasing the sugar content and chlorophyll content in their leaves, and thus indirectly improve the disease resistance of crops.