EFFECT OF POTASSIUM APPLICATION ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF WHEAT VARIETIES

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted at CSAUA&T Kanpur during rabi season of 2011-12 to study the effect of potassium levels on growth, yield and economics of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties. Treatments were consisting of three varieties of wheat viz. PBW-343, K-307 and K-402 and four potassium levels viz. 0, 40, 60 and 80 kg K ha^-1 in factorial randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Significantly higher growth characters viz. no. of ear head (391.2 m^-2), effective tillers (266.4 m^-2) and total number of tillers (317.5 m^-2); yield attributes viz. length of spike^-1 (9.3 cm), no. of spikelets spike^-1 (19.9), weight spike^-1 (2.6 g), grains spike^-1 (46.30) and weight of grains spike^-1 (1.83 g) were recorded with PBW-343 followed by K-307 and the lowest in K-402. Similarly, the highest grain yield (48.8 q ha^-1), straw yield (69.7 q ha^-1) and biological yield (118.6 q ha^-1) were also recorded in wheat variety PBW-343. Gross returns (Rs. 80, 041 ha^-1), net returns (Rs.37, 620 ha^-1) and B: C ratio (1.88) was found in the variety PBW-343. Higher growth characters and yield attributes of wheat were reported with application of 80 kg K₂O ha^-1. Similarly, the highest grain yield (50.7 q ha^-1), straw yield (70.1q ha^-1), biological yield (120.9 q ha^-1) and harvest index (41.9%) were also recorded under 80 kg K₂O ha^-1 which was at par with 60 kg K₂O ha^-1.