Response of Bidi Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) to Split and Foliar Application of Sulphate of Potash in a Vertisol
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Date
2016-06
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University of Agricultural Science, Dharwad
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted during kharif 2015 at Agricultural Research Station Nipani (Dist. Belagavi) to study the “Response of bidi tobacco to split and foliar application of sulphate of potash in a Vertisol”. Experiment consisted of twelve treatments and three replications with Randomized Block Design. Results showed that, split application of recommended dose of potassium to soil, half at the time of transplanting and remaining half dose at the time of topping combined with one foliar spray of SOP at 0.5 per cent on 30th day after topping produced highest leaf yield (1823.93 kg ha-1). Application of recommended K in split doses significantly increased the reducing sugar content in leaves (8.70 %) over basal application of potassium (5.56 %).
Neither split application nor foliar spray of SOP significantly influenced the nicotine content in leaves over control which received recommended potassium as basal application at transplanting (4.47 %). Application of recommended dose of potassium to soil at transplanting increased significantly chloride content in leaves (1.61 %) over treatment that received split application of recommended K (1.30 %). Treatments which did not receive foliar spray of SOP recorded higher chloride content in leaves than treatments which received foliar spray of SOP either once or twice at both the concentrations.
There was slight reduction in total and mineral potassium contents in soil at harvest in all the treatments compared to initial values (0.63 % & 0.53 % for total and mineral potassium respectively). In treatments which lack K application to soil (T2 & T3), there was significant transformation of non-exchangeable potassium to exchangeable and water soluble potassium. But treatments which received basal or split application of recommended potassium, the transformation of non-exchangeable K to other forms was not distinct. Highest B:C ratio (3.48) was obtained in the treatment which received recommended dose of potassium in split doses along with one foliar spray of SOP at 0.5 per cent on 30th day after topping.