Cation selectivity in cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) grown on calcareous soil as affected by potassium fertilization, cultivar and growth stage

Background and aims Selective uptake of K over Na has been proposed as a mechanism employed by plants to tackle high soil salinity. However, the impact of other dominant soil cations such as Ca and Mg and essentiality of higher K/Ca and K/Mg selectivity for plant performance under adverse growing conditions have been studied much less. We addressed this topic by looking at cation selectivity in cotton grown on calcareous soil supplemented by K.