YIELD RESPONSE OF COTTON TO FOLIAR FERTILIZATION OF POTASSIUM IN ÇUKUROVA REGION

Abstract

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of foliar K applications on seed cotton yield and fiber quality in 2001 and 2002. Treatments consisted of two cotton cultivars and 5 kg/ha of K treatments applied at bloom and repeated on a 14-day intervals for a total of three applications and a control. Foliar K treatments were found to significantly increase boll number/plant, boll weight, seed cotton yield and lint yield in both years. The greatest increases in yields were obtained with foliar K applications beginning from two weeks after first bloom. The K concentrations of blades of K-treated plants were greater than those of the control tissues. Leaf blade K levels tended to decline weekly until the fourth week of bloom. No significant differences in fiber properties by K treatments were observed.