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

The objectives of this project are to a) evaluate the effect of K fertilizer application on the yield of different crops under different soil and climatic conditions in Turkey and b) transfer the knowledge and technology of fertilizer application to farmers, fertilizer company dealers, and decision makers in Turkey using social media and publishing extension materials. Field experiments were conducted at three locations to investigate the effect of different application rates of K from two fertilizer sources (KCl and K₂SO₄) on maize and cotton yields.

The results from the maize experiment in Adana indicated that the highest maize grain yield (14.5 t/ha) was obtained with the application of 60 kg K₂O/ha as KCl followed by the application of 120 kg K/ha as K₂SO₄ (13.8 t/ha). The lowest yield was obtained when no K was applied (8.3 t/ha). The results from the cotton experiment conducted at the Cotton Research Station in Nazilli Kivilicim, Aydin showed that the highest cotton fiber yield (2.0 t/ha) was obtained with application of 60 kg K₂O/ha irrespective of the source of K used and the lowest yield was obtained when no K was applied (1.6 t/ha). Using similar K rates (60 kg K₂O/ha applied either as KCl or K₂SO₄) gave the highest, but significantly similar cotton seed yields of 4.62 and 4.59 t/ha, respectively, and the lowest cotton seed yield (3.65 t/ha) was obtained when no K was applied.