Vol. 11, Issue 12 (2022)

Author(s):
Shivashankar K and Adesh Singh

Abstract:
Scheduling irrigation is the major factor in producing higher yields of summer crops. Inadequate moisture during the sensitive stages will cause substantial reduction in yield. Potassium (K+) is an important element in reducing the ill effects of soil water stress on crop. Foliar application of potassium increases the drought tolerance in mungbean. Keeping this in view, a field experiment was carried out to study the “Effect of foliar potassium application and irrigation schedules on growth, yield, nutrient uptake and nutrient use efficiency of summer mungbean” during 2018 at SVPUA&T, Meerut (U.P). It included 12 treatment combinations comprised of 2 irrigation schedules (0.6 and 0.4 IW/CPE ratio) and 6 foliar potassium application treatments (1% spray of K through KNO₃ and/or KCl at flowering, flowering and pod development stage including control), replicated thrice and were tested under a split-plot design. The results indicated that, the growth parameters, yield of mungbean were significantly higher under 0.6 IW/CPE ratio as compared to 0.4 IW/CPE ratio. Irrigation scheduled at 0.6 IW/CPE ratio (I₁) recorded the highest nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium uptake by grains, straw as well as total, respectively which were significantly superior over 0.4 IW/CPE ratio irrigation schedule. The increment in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium uptake by grains in I₁ over I₂ was 32.9, 50.0 and 34.8 per cent, respectively. Among the foliar application of potassium treatments, the growth attributes and yield were significantly increased by foliar application of 1% K through KNO₃/KCl at flowering and pod development stage. Significantly highest nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium uptake by grains, straw and total, respectively were recorded with the foliar application of 1% K as KNO₃ (one at flowering and another at pod development stage) over rest of the treatments. The increase in nitrogen phosphorus and potassium uptake by grains under treatment with 1% K by KNO₃ spray at flowering and pod development stage (T₆) over 1% K spray through KNO₃ only at flowering (T₃) was 24.4, 34.6 and 29.2%, respectively. The interaction effect between irrigation regimes and potassium foliar levels was non-significant for most of the parameters.