EFFECT OF SOME POTASSIUM FERTILIZATION SOURCES ON GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY OF BANANA PLANTS

Abstract

Three separate experiments were performed through the two successive seasons 2017 and 2018 to study the effect of different rates of slow release potassium fertilizers, feldspar rocks and wood ash amended with potassium citrate (100, 75 and 50%) on vegetative growth and productivity of banana c.v Williams plants grown in sandy soils. The obtained results showed that, banana plants fertilized by (100%) 1.6 kg slow release potassium (800 g K2O/plant/year) gave the highest values of number of green leaves/plant, leaf chlorophyll (SPAD), leaf N, P, K (%), Fe, Zn, Mn (ppm), yield, bunch weight, hand number/bunch, hand weight, finger pulp weight, TSS (%), total sugars (%), total yield income and net return/feddan in both seasons.However, banana plants fertilized with {(50%) 4.5 kg feldspar + (50%) 800 g potassium sulphate + (500 ml) Bacillus circulans}(800 g K2O/plant/year)}scored the highest values of vegetative growth parameters.i.e. pseudostem height (cm), pseudostem circumferences (cm), leaf area (m2), number of green leaves/plant and total assimilation area (m2/plant), leaf chlorophyll (SPAD), the highest leaf N, P, K (%), Fe, Zn, Mn (ppm), yield, bunch weight, hand we., finger pulp weight, TSS, total sugars and total yield income. Whereas, rate (50%)feldspar + (50%) potassium sulphate + 250 ml Bacillus circulansgave the highest values of net return/feddan in the two seasons.Moreover, fertilized plants by (50%) 4.5 kg wood ash amended with potassium citrate + (50%) potassium sulphate (800 g K2O /plant/year) had a significant effect on vegetative growth parameters. i.e. number of green leaves/plant and total assimilation area (m2/plant), leaf chlorophyll (SPAD), the highest leaf N, K (%), Fe, Zn, Mn (ppm), yield, bunch weight, number of hands/bunch, hand weight, finger pulp weight