Minimizing of Using Potassium Fertilizer by Using Foliar Spraying and Organic Manuring and Its Effect on Maize Productivity and Soil Properties

El-Sheref, Ghada; Awadalla, H.; Abu El Fotoh, Hanan

doi:10.21608/jssae.2018.36474

Minimizing of Using Potassium Fertilizer by Using Foliar Spraying and Organic Manuring and Its Effect on Maize Productivity and Soil Properties

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Soil, Water and Environment Res., ARC, Giza, Egypt.

10.21608/jssae.2018.36474

Abstract

Two field experiments were performed in the Agricultural Farm of Sids Agricultural Research Station, ARC, Beni-Suef Governorate during two seasons of 2016 and 2017 to evaluate using foliar spraying of 2% mono-potassium sulphate or di-potassium sulphate twice for minimizing the use of chemical potassium fertilizer (0.0, 50 and 100 kg K₂SO₄ /fed) under different doses of organic manure (0.0, 2.5 and 5 t/fed chicken manure )and its effect on maize productivity, namely, growth parameters (plant height and dry weight/plant), yield components (number of rows/ear, number of grains/row and 100-grain yield), grain and stover yields and NPK uptake as well as some soil chemical properties, i.e., pH, EC,OM and soil available NPK. The results indicate that increasing level of organic manure was significantly increased maize growth, yield and its components and NPK uptake, also it improved all studied soil properties, except soil salinity which increased with increasing manure levels. Foliar spraying of di-potassium sulphate surpassed mono-potassium sulphate on maize productivity. Increasing the level of chemical potassium sulphate as soil application enhanced maize productivity and soil available K after harvest. Added 50 kg/fed potassium sulphate + foliar spraying of 2% di-potassium sulphate twice + 5t chicken manure/fed give highest maize productivity.

Keywords