Potassium

Potassium

The three elements that are most needed by plants are nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). Even though potassium is not a constituent of important compounds, it plays a remarkable role in many physiological activities in plants like the control of cellular turgor and the accumulation of carbohydrates. It increases the size of fruits, their flavor, as well as yielding a positive effect on the color and fragrance of flowers. Because of its influence on plant growth, potassium plays an important part in determining the pH of wines. Potassium also makes plants more resistant to disease. Hanna Instruments offers a wide variety of instrumentation for measuring potassium. Products include benchtop and portable pH/ISE meters that can use a liquid membrane potassium Ion-Selective Electrode (ISE) for direct measurement. Both benchtop and portable meters have the ion charge and molecular weight pre-programmed in order to take ion concentration measurements along with multiple units of measure. The benchtop meters have incremental methods built-in. Hanna offers a variety of chemical based methods to measure potassium. Available technologies include Spectrophotometer, benchtop and portable photometers, Checker HC, and chemical test kits. A marine version of the Checker HC allows for the measurement of potassium in seawater for the maintenance of a saltwater aquarium.