RESPONSE OF WHEAT TO FOLIAR APPLICATION OF POTASSIUM UNDER WATER DEFICIT CONDITION

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in the Experimental field of Crop Physiology and Ecology Department, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur during December 2021 to April 2022 to investigate the effect of foliar spray of potassium on wheat growing on different irrigation regimes. The experiment was laid out in a Split plot design with three replications. Irrigation regimes were in the main plot and potassium treatments were distributed in the sub plots. The unit plot size was 2.5 m × 2.0 m. Two levels of potassium fertilizer were applied as foliar spray I).K0: No foliar Spray of K2O; II). K1: Foliar spray with 1% K2O; Potassium was sprayed with 0% &1% of K2O at 35 and 50 DAS using K2SO4 and three irrigation regimes (I0= No drought; I1= Drought at tillering; and I2= Drought at milking) were imposed. All the growth, phenological character, yield contributing characters and yield significantly influenced by both potassium fertilizer application and irrigation regimes. In case of potassium fertilizer application K1 (Foliar spray with 1% K2O) provided maximum values while the lowest values were found in K0 treatment. In case of irrigation regimes, most of the growth parameters such as plant height, number of tillers plant-1, total dry matter, all phenological parameters (days to crown root initiation, booting, an thesis and physiological maturity), yield attributes such as number of spikelets spike-1, number of grains spike-1, thousand grain weight and yield were the highest in I0 (No drought;) which was followed by I1 (Drought at tillering), and the lowest were recorded in I2 (Drought at milking) treatment. In the interaction of potassium fertilizer and irrigation regimes, most of the cases the best performance was observed in K1×I0 interaction whereas lowest was in K0×I2 interaction.