POTASSIUM NUTRITION OF SORGHUM ( Sorghum bicolor ( L. ) Moench ) UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS

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Date
1989
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ACHARYA N.G. RANGA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, RAJENDRANAGAR, HYDERABAD
Abstract
The experiment was conducted in the rainy season 1988 (June-October) with two sorghum cultivars viz., SPV-462 and CSH-5 and four potash levels; 0, 20, 40 and 60 kg ha -1 . The objectives of the investigation were to study the response of sorghum cultivars to potash application and to fix optimum dose of potash under rainfed conditions. Data at fortnightly intervals were collected during the crop season. The data on various growth parameters like plant height, number of leaves, leaf area index, dry weight of plant parts, dry matter partitioning and days taken for 50% flowering showed that potash at 40 kg ha-l was beneficial. Various biochemical parameters such as N, P and K uptake and chlorophyll content of the leaves were also improved by the added potassium. Application of potassium to sorghum was found to be beneficial for increasing grain yield. Singificant increase in grain yield was recorded with the application of 40 kg K20 ha -1 (5692 kg ha - 1 ) as against 4383 kg ha -1 recorded by control treatment, the increase being 30 per cent. This increase in yield was due to the increase in yield contributing parameters like number of primary and secondary rachii per earhead, number of grains -1 earhead , 1000 grain weight, LA!, CGR, NAR, HI, uptake of N, P and K and improved chlorophyll content. Out of the two cultivars, cv. SPV-462 was found to be superior over cv. CSH-5 for many of the characters with added potassium while the hybrid cv. CHS-5 was superior over cv. SPV-462 in respect of harvest index. It is evident that the application of 40 kg K2o ha-ยท 1 is beneficial under rainfed situations.
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POTASSIUM, NUTRITION, SORGHUM, ,Sorghum, bicolor, Moench,
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