Synergistic Effect of Potassium and Zinc Application on Yield and Quality of Sesame

Abstract

Sesame crop is widely recognized as contributor in global oil production. Potassium (K) and zinc (Zn) being responsible for oil synthesis pathways were applied in a field trial at agronomy research farm of Agriculture University Peshawar to assess their effects on sesame during summer season 2022. Four Zn foliar sprays (0, 2, 4 and 6 %) and four K levels (0, 60, 80 and 100 kg ha-1) were tested in a randomized complete design with three replications. Results exhibited that K and Zn interaction for all parameters was non-significant. However, K and Zn at 60 kg ha-1 and 4 % Zn ha-1 solely applied enhanced agronomic and quality attributes such as plant height (174.0 and 176.2 cm), branches/ plant (12.3 and 12.0), capsules/ plant (70 and 71), seeds/capsule (55 and 55), thousand seeds weight (3.0 and 3.0 g), flowering days (53 and 52), maturity days (104 and 102) biological yield (3583 and 3585 kg ha-1), seed yield (872 and 861 kg ha-1), oil content (47.4 and 48.3 %), oil yield (417 and 416 kg ha 1 ) respectively. Moreover, 100 kg K recorded higher potassium content (3.85 %) while Zn spray at 4 % noted higher Zn content (1.63 %) and seed protein content (20.1 %). Correlation analysis showed positive impact of increasing seed yield on all quality attributes. Thus, applying K at 60 kg and 4 % Zn foliar ha-1 is recommended for improved yield and quality of sesame in agro-climatic conditions of Peshawar region.