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347824

Exploring the influence of supplemental potassium fertilizer types and rates on garlic quality and yield

Article

Last updated: 04 Jan 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

Plant Production

Abstract

Garlic farmers often seek strategies to improve yield and post-harvest storage longevity. This study investigated the impact of various supplemental potassium fertilizers on these parameters. The experiment, conducted in 2021 and 2022, utilized a randomized complete block design with seven treatments: two levels of potassium nitrate (2.5 and 5 g/L), two levels of potassium citrate (2.5 and 5 mL/L), two levels of potassium silicate (2.5 and 5 mL/L), and a control without fertilizer. The findings revealed a clear influence of supplemental potassium fertilization on several key aspects of garlic growth and quality. Applying potassium nitrate at 5 g/L consistently outperformed other treatments. Plants receiving this treatment grew taller (72.93 and 90.80 cm), boasted more leaves (9.20 and 12.03), and showcased the largest bulb diameter (5.40 and 5.21 cm) and highest number of cloves per bulb (14.60 and 14.30), ultimately translating to the highest total yield per feddan (feddan = 4200 m² = 0.420 hectares = 1.037 acres) (12.61 and 12.75 ton) in both seasons, respectively. Notably, this treatment also led to significantly higher chlorophyll content (78.67 and 73.45 SPAD unit) across both seasons, respectively, suggesting enhanced photosynthetic activity and improved plant health. Beyond these morphological features and yield benefits, the study explored the impact of supplemental potassium fertilizers on post-harvest storage quality – a crucial element for farmers aiming to minimize losses. The results were encouraging, indicating that supplemental potassium fertilization contributes to reduced post-harvest loss compared to the control. While all potassium treatments displayed positive effects, potassium silicate and potassium nitrate at 2.5 g/L offered the most significant reductions in percentage weight loss during both storage periods (one and two months after harvest). These findings highlight the importance of potassium management for optimizing garlic production and post-harvest handling, providing valuable insights for farmers and agricultural stakeholders seeking to maximize their yields and minimize losses.

DOI

10.21608/aasj.2024.347824

Keywords

garlic quality, potassium citrate, potassium nitrate, potassium silicate, total chlorophyll, total yield

Authors

First Name

A.

Last Name

Metwally

MiddleName

K. B.

Affiliation

Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

A.

Last Name

Yousef

MiddleName

F.

Affiliation

Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt

Email

ahmedyousuf@azhar.edu.eg

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

A.

Last Name

Abd El-Raheem

MiddleName

A. S.

Affiliation

Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt

Email

dr.ahmedraheem@hotmail.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

G.

Last Name

Abd El-Rehim

MiddleName

H.

Affiliation

Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

7

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

49749

Issue Date

2024-04-01

Receive Date

2024-01-14

Publish Date

2024-04-01

Page Start

47

Page End

63

Print ISSN

2535-1680

Online ISSN

2535-1699

Link

https://aasj.journals.ekb.eg/article_347824.html

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https://aasj.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=347824

Order

4

Type

Research article

Type Code

764

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Archives of Agriculture Sciences Journal

Publication Link

https://aasj.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Exploring the influence of supplemental potassium fertilizer types and rates on garlic quality and yield

Details

Type

Article

Created At

30 Dec 2024