Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 22, 2026

Measuring Fluxes of Mineral Nutrients and Toxicants in Plants with Radioactive Tracers
Published on: August 22, 2014
[Physiological and ecological effects of potassium on expansion of crocus corm]
Yun Liu1, Yun Long, Liquan Zhu
1School of Life Science, Key Laboratory of Eco-Environment of Three Gorges Reservoir Region of Ministry of Education, Southwest China Normal University, Chongqing 400715, China. liuyun19970205@sina.com
Abstract:
The corm size of Crocus sativus, a well-known medicine, is a key limiting factor for its stigma harvest. A water cultural experiment with four different potassium (K) concentrations showed that the K content, chlorophyll content, relative ATP content and net photosynthetic rate in C. sativus leaves increased with improving K concentration, which enhanced the function of leaves to be metabolic source. On the other hand, the K absorbing ability and the contents of soluble sugars, vitamin C (Vc) and protein in new-born corms were increased with improving K concentration, which also strengthened the function of new-born corms to be metabolic sink. This study also showed that K could promote the new-born corm growth rate of C. sativus through strengthening the function of "source" and "sink".
Related Concept Videos
Responses to Salt Stress
Short-distance Transport of Resources
Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata
Tonicity in Plants
Tonicity in Plants
Tonicity
Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water depending on the solute...
Responses to Drought and Flooding
