Effect of Potash Fertilization on Yield and Quality of Cotton, Maize, Watermelon and Hazelnuts in Turkey

The objectives of this project were to evaluate the effect of K fertilizer application on yield and production of different crops grown under different soil and climatic conditions in Turkey and transfer the knowledge and technology of fertilizer application to growers, fertilizer company dealers, and decision makers in Turkey. Field experiments were conducted at three locations to investigate the effects of different rates of K application from two sources (KCl and K₂SO₄).

Results from the maize experiment in Adana indicated that the highest maize grain yield (12.8 t/ha ) was obtained with the application of 60 kg K₂O/ha as KCl, while a similar application of K₂SO₄ produced maize grain yield of 11 t/ha. The lowest yield (8.3 t/ha) was obtained when no K was applied. Results from the watermelon field experiment at the same site indicated that the highest watermelon fruit yield of 55 t/ha was obtained with the application of 120 kg K₂O/ha as KCl, while a similar application of K₂SO₄ produced 41.6 t/ha of watermelon fruit. The lowest watermelon yield (33.8 t/ha) was again obtained when no K was applied. Results from the cotton experiment at Cotton Research Station, Nazilli Kivilicim, Aydin, indicated no significant differences among all treatments including the control on any of the cotton yield variables (seed yield, fiber yield, fiber length, fiber strength, fiber fineness, fiber maturity). Turkey-01