Akbar Hossain, Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva and M. Bodruzzaman

pp. 635 - 642

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Wheat Research Sub-Station of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute,
Debigonj-Panchagarh, Bangladesh in two wheat-growing seasons to verify the existing potassium (K) rate and to assess the
effect of the K application method on wheat cultivation. Eight levels of K were applied: 24 kg K₂O ha^-1 (all as basal), 24 kg
K₂O ha^-1 (1/2 as basal and 1/2 at 18 days after sowing (DAS)), 48 kg K₂O ha^-1 (all as basal), 48 kg K₂O ha^-1 (1/2 as basal and
1/2 at 18 DAS), 72 kg K₂O ha^-1 (all as basal), 72 kg K₂O ha^-1 (1/2 as basal and 1/2 at 18 DAS), 96 kg K₂O ha^-1 (all as basal),
96 kg K2O ha-1 (1/2 as basal and 1/2 at 18 DAS). Grain and biomass yields increased gradually as K2O level increased up to
72 kg ha^-1 for both the basal and split application. Yield did not increase even when the dose of K₂O was increased from 72 to
96 kg K2O ha-1. A similar trend was observed in the number of spikes m^-2
, number of grains spike^-1 and 1000-grain weight.
Therefore, 72 kg K₂O ha^-1 is recommended for wheat production in light soil.

Keywords

• wheat
• K
• rate
• application methods
• soil