Sugar beet (Beta vulgarisL.) response to diammonium phosphate and potassium sulphate under saline–sodic conditions

Abstract

Salinity and sodicity are prime threats to land resources resulting in huge economic and associated social consequences in several countries. Nutrient deficiencies reduce crop productivity in salt-affected regions. Soil fertility has not been sustainably managed in salt-affected arid regions. Few researchers investigated the crop responses to phosphorus and potassium interactions especially in saline-sodic soils. A research study was carried out to explore the effect of diammonium phosphorus (DAP) and potassium sulphate (K 2 SO 4 ) on sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) grown in a saline-sodic field located in Kohat district of Pakistan. The crop was irrigated with ground water with EC iw value of 2.17-3.0 dS/ m. Three levels each of K 2 O (0, 75 and 150 kg/ha) as K 2 SO 4 and P 2 O 5 (0, 60 and 120 kg/ha) as DAP were applied. The application of P significantly affected fresh beet and shoot yield while K fertilizers had significant effect on fresh beet yield and ratio of beet:shoot, while non-significant effects on the fresh shoot were observed. The application of K 1 and K 2 promoted sugar beet shoot yield by 49.2 and 49.2% at P 1 and 64.4 and 59.7% at P 2 , respectively over controls. In comparison with controls, fresh beet yield was increased (%) by 15 and 51, 45 and 84, and 50 and 58 for corresponding K 1 and K 2 at P 0 , P 1 and P 2 , respectively. Addition of P 1 and P 2 increased beet yield by 37 and 47% over control. The shoot [P] (mmol/kg) were achieved as 55.2, 73.6 and 84.3 at P 0 , P 1 and P 2 , respectively. The shoot [Mg] and [SO 4 ] tended to decrease with increasing P levels, while [SO 4 ] was markedly reduced at P 2 . The effect of P on leaf [Na] was non-significant, but increasing levels of K decreased [Na] substantially at P 0 and P 1 , but there was no difference in the effect of K level on [Na] at P 2 . Consequently, K application reduced leaf Na:K ratios. Fresh shoot yield was weakly associated with leaf [P] (R 2 = 0.53). The leaf Na:K ratio showed a negative relationship (R 2 = 0.90) with leaf [K]. A strongly positive relationship (R 2 = 0.75) was observed between leaf [K] and fresh beet yield. The addition of K 2 SO 4 also enhanced [SO 4 ] and SO 4 :P ratios in leaf tissues. The ratio of Na:K in the shoot decreased with increasing K application. These results demonstrated that interactions of K and P could mitigate the adverse effects of salinity and sodicity in soils. This would contribute to the efficient management of soil fertility system in arid-climate agriculture.

Potassium requirement for leaf biomass yield and K nutrition of stevia

“…Our findings are also in agreement with that of Ojeniyi et al (2007) who reported that application of N, P, K and animal manure increased the dry weight of tomato as compared to control. Hussain et al (2014) found that application of 150 kg K2O ha -1 promoted sugar beet top yield by 49.2% and fresh root yield by 45.0% over control treatment.…”

Integrated Application of K and Zn as an Avenue to Promote Sugar Beet Yield, Industrial Sugar Quality, and K-Use Efficiency in a Salty Semi-Arid Agro-Ecosystem

“…Soil fertilization with K singly or in interactions (Table 3 and Table S1) significantly improved sugar beet morphophysiological responses and chlorophyll concentration (SPAD index), particularly with K 180 . Increased salt tolerance has been reported in several crops, including sugar beet, with increased availability of K + in plant tissues [10,12,21,22,56]. Under saline conditions, K + assists the availability of water and phytonutrients [57] to sugar beet plants by deepening the roots into the soil to balance the uptake of nutrients, resulting in higher root dimensions, RFW, and thus yields [12].…”

“…Egypt is considered an arid region and possesses about 900,000 hectares (about 25%) of irrigated agricultural land that suffers from the occurrence of salinization [9]. High soil salinity causes adverse effects on different plant responses in terms of morpho-physiology and biochemistry, leading to a severe reduction in crop productivities [10,11]. Soil solutions containing Na + and Cl − ions due to high salinity cause osmotic stress, ionic imbalance, nutrient uptake antagonism (especially Na + with K + ), and damage to cellular membranes and some organelles by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) [12][13][14].…”

Wheat growth and nutrient uptake after phosphorus and potassium applications in saline-sodic field of semi-arid region

“…Reclamation of salt-affected soils through appropriate on-farm fertility management practices serves as a vital tool for the enhancement of crop production (JORDAN et al, 2004). Under salt stress, proper fertilizer applications to the soil can increase crop yields (HUSSAIN et al, 2014). Potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) can be important in minimizing the negative impacts of high salt stress in soils (GARG;GUPTA, 1998).…”

“…The impacts of P and K fertilizers on soil reclamation and growth of maize and sugar beet were studied in the same area (HUSSAIN et al, 2014;. The present study aimed to further investigate the interactions of P and K and salinity on wheat growth and nutrient uptake in a salinesodic environment.…”