The Effect of Potassium and Sulfur on the Yield Variability of Canaryseed
Evaluate K and S additions on the yield and quality of Canary Seed production at five locations in Saskatchewan, Canada.
IPNI-2000-CAN-SK27
01 May 2002
2001 Annual Interpretive Summary
The Effect of Potassium and Sulfur on the Yield Variability of Canaryseed, 2001
The biggest production problem faced by farmers growing canaryseed is the year-to-year variability in seed yield. The cause of this fluctuation in yield is not well understood. One aspect that has not been addressed is the effect of potassium (K) and sulfur (S) on yield. An experiment was designed to evaluate K and S additions on the yield of canaryseed at five locations in Saskatchewan.
The effects of potassium chloride (KCl) and sulfate-S (SO42–-S) on canaryseed yields were mixed. In 2000, yield increased as KCl was increased at two sandy loam soil locations. At a heavy clay site, the 13 lb K2O/A rate lowered yield, and the 27 lb K2O/A rate increased yield. The addition of S decreased yield at a heavy clay site and increased yield at a sandy loam site. In 2001 there was a significant response to KCl at both heavy clay and sandy loam sites. The greatest response occurred at the heavy clay site where an extra treatment of potassium sulfate (K2SO4) was added to the experiment. Unlike KCl, the K2SO4 did not increase yield. This may indicate that the Cl component of the KCl is increasing the yield of canaryseed in some situations. The addition of S had no effect on yield at any location in 2001. Further investigation into the effects of K and Cl on canaryseed are required to help address the yield variability of this crop. SK-27F