Effect of Compound Fertilizer Application Rates on Vegetative Growth, Total Yield and Head Quality of Lettuce

Abstract

The growth, yield, head quality and NPK contents in lettuce plants grown on a sandy soil fertilized with different rates (0, 75 and 150 gm m -2 ) of 18:7:16 NPK compound fertilizer was evaluated in an experiment conducted for two successive seasons (1998/1999 and 1999/2000). As compared with the control, fertilized treatments showed significant differences in fresh weight per plant, percentage dry/fresh weight, leaf area, total yield, head diameter and head circumference for the two seasons. After harvest, the contents of NPK in the lettuce leaves and the soil were increased by the application of the compound fertilizer at a rate of 150 gm/m 2 . However, the increase in P % in both lettuce leaves and soil was not significant for all treatments.