Progress in the Study of Plant Nitrogen and Potassium Nutrition and Their Interaction Mechanisms

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Author

The article presents an interesting topic, as N and K are among the nutrients most absorbed by plants. However, the article has serious writing problems, with very long paragraphs, some with incomplete reasoning, without a final consideration or conclusion.
The abstract needs to be reformulated, as it is not up to the standards required by the journal.

I have left a number of suggestions in the attached file to improve the wording of the text.

The reviewer

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript.We have thoroughly examined each of your comments and suggestions and have prepared detailed responses accordingly. We sincerely appreciate your valuable guidance and support.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for the opportunity to perform the review. 

The article presented for review is carefully written both substantively and editorially. The title is adequate for the content presented, and the aim of the article is elaborated upon in the subsequent sections. The article is extensive, citing 76 sources of literature. It also contains a section on research perspectives, which enhances its scientific value.

However, I have the following doubts:

1. The article, for me, is not innovative; most of the information contained in it is already well-known, and the article merely gathers this information. For example, the role of nitrogen in photosynthesis.
2. It lacks more information regarding the effects of deficiencies of certain nutrients.
3. Lines 42-45, in my opinion, are not true because most of the multi-component fertilizers currently produced, which are widely used, have interactions between nitrogen and potassium.
4. The cited literature is 20 years old and does not represent an innovative approach to the topic and should be replaced with newer sources.
5. The article has more of the form of a textbook for students than that of an innovative scientific article.

Author Response

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript.We have thoroughly examined each of your comments and suggestions and have prepared detailed responses accordingly. We sincerely appreciate your valuable guidance and support.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript submitted for review is a review paper. It is an interesting article prepared on the basis of the latest scientific literature on the issue of fertilizing plants with nitrogen and potassium and the interactions between these macronutrients. Rational application of nutrients is crucial for ensuring food security and promoting sustainable agriculture. The effect of nitrogen and potassium fertilization should be considered taking into account the interaction between these elements.

That is why I believe that the presented research results have great scientific value

The manuscript is divided into 5 substantive parts/chapters.

The Abstract and Introduction are correct.

Chapters

1. Plant Nitrogen Nutrition Research

The authors described the physiological role of nitrogen, especially in photosynthesis. Much of this information is common knowledge. The authors refer to the research results of other scientists, indicating, that the photosynthetic system represents the plant's largest nitrogen reservoir, accounting for approximately 75% of total leaf nitrogen. The cited rerearch results concerned field crops. Line 107 – cotton, line 114 – rapeseed. The same in next chapter line 263 – rice, line 367 sweet potato. Only line 420 – garlic bulb and line 341 – tomato. Is there no research on the effect of NK fertilization on the yield of vegetable plants and the quality of soil/substrates?

One subchapter is devoted to the uptake of various forms of nitrogen by plants from the soil and the mechanisms of its transport from the rhizosphere to the root and then to the above-ground parts. Some physiological mechanisms have been described briefly. This form is acceptable because of the references to literature where the reader will find more information.

2. Research on Potassium Nutrition in Plants

The authors point that vacuolar K⁺ fluxes play decisive roles in vacuolar dynamics underlying stomatal movement, and regulation of lumenal pH. Stomatal closure represents the primary limitation to CO₂ assimilation, which is why precise control of stomatal aperture is crucial for plant productivity. This chapter highlights the physiological role of potassium in the plant and the effects of its deficiency. In the subchapter „Mechanisms of Potassium Absorption and Transport in Plants” the mechanism of potassium uptake by plants in various conditions of soil abundance in this element is well described. However, there is no reference to the literature (line 195-218). This should be corrected.

3. Mechanisms of Nitrogen-Potassium Nutrient Interactions in Plant.

               Authors discribed different types of nutrient interactions (synergism, antagonism, null interaction and Liebieg^,s synergism). They pointed out the synergistic interactions of N and K, as a result of which the efficiency of nitrogen utilization increases. Strategic N-K co-application enables sustainable yield intensification (increase 15-28% crop productivity) with concurrent fertilizer input reduction (decrease 20-35%), offering a dual solution for ecological stability and agricultural resilience under global change scenarios. The interactions indicated by the authors between various nutrients in the soil environment and the plant affect the quantity and quality of the yield, as well as shape the properties of the soil.. Research on N-K interactions helps optimize  soil fertility management strategies, improves crop utilization efficiency of nitrogen and  potassium, and consequently enhances both sustainability and economic returns in agricultural production. I suggest that the authors refer to the scientific literature in this paragraph, especialy line 270-274 and at the end of the subsection (line 292).

Physiological interactions between N and K result from the different forms of occurrence of the elements in the plant, which influences their transport and utilization. The authors described in great detail the physiological mechanisms of nitrogen and potassium interactions at the cellular level.

4. Regulation of Nitrogen and Potassium Nutrient Balance in Plants

        Based on previous research results, the authors presented the impact of balanced nitrogen and potassium fertilization on the growth and development of various plant species. They pointed to the synergistic effects of both elements and the role of potassium in reducing biotic and abiotic stress. This section of the manuscript highlights the importance of Balanced Fertilization Technique in maintaining the good quality of all elements of the natural environment. Increasing the efficiency of nitrogen fertilization through the proper use of potassium fertilizers allows for sustainable farming practices.

5. Research Prospects.

According to the authors, researchers face three tasks to improve the situation in sustainable agriculture and to enrich knowledge about the interactions between N and K.

1. Elucidating the molecular physiological mechanisms underlying nitrogen-potassium (N-K) interactions is essential for enhancing crop stress resilience and environmental adaptability.
2. Optimizing nitrogen-potassium fertilizer formulations and developing efficient,

      environmentally sound fertilization strategies require systematic investigation into the            effects of varied N-K ratios and compound

      3. Constructing robust soil-plant system models is imperative for safeguarding global food supply stability. Developing dynamic N-K coupling models that integrate soil available potassium pools, nitrogen mineralization kinetics, and root uptake parameters can quantify nutrient fluxes across the "fertilizer-soil-crop-environment" continuum under diverse farming regimes.

 

               Although the work presents a lot of known information on the physiological role of nitrogen and potassium and their interaction in soil and plants, the article contains interesting new content and is a compendium of knowledge, as well as points to issues requiring further research, what is worth emphazing.

Therefore, I believe that after taking into account minor comments, it can be accepted for printing.

 

 

Author Response

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript.We have thoroughly examined each of your comments and suggestions and have prepared detailed responses accordingly. We sincerely appreciate your valuable guidance and support.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Author

The changes made to the text have improved the quality of the article, making it less tiring to read and more focused.

The shorter paragraphs and the reduced amount of information contained therein facilitate the reader's understanding of the text, making it clearer what the author is presenting in his text.

I believe that my suggestions for improving the text have been addressed.

The reviewer

Author Response

thank you