Status of different forms of potassium under foxtail millet crop as influenced by graded levels of potassium in Alfisols of Chikkaballapura region, Karnataka

Abstract

The present investigation in relation to “effect of graded levels of potassium on different forms of potassium under foxtail millet cultivation in Alfisols of Chikkabalapura region, Karnataka” was carried out during kharif 2016 and 2017 at Devapalli village of Chintamani taluk, Chikkaballapura district, which comes under eastern dry zone of Karnataka. The experiment was conducted using Randomized complete block design with five potassium levels. Totally twelve treatments (recommended nitrogen, phosphorus (40 kg N & 40 kg P2O5) and 50 kg N, 45 kg P2O5 along with 5 levels of potassium, only recommended NP and absolute control) were tested under foxtail millet as a test crop. The results of the pooled data revealed that, application of recommended N, P2O5 with 40 kg K2O ha-1 + 6 t of FYM (T6) recorded higher grain yield (2266.07 kg ha-1) and straw yield (3814.95 kg ha-1) of foxtail millet in the both the years, which was found to be on par with the application of T11 (50 kg N, 45 kg P2O5 + 40 kg K2O ha-1 + 6 t of FYM). Soil application of 50 kg potassium with 50 kg N and 45 kg P2O5 + 6 t of FYM ha-1 recorded the higher water soluble (6.53 mg kg-1), exchangeable (72.10 mg kg-1) and non-exchangeable K (208.08 mg kg-1). Highest lattice (2308.59 mg kg-1) and total K (2582.29 mg kg-1) were recorded in T7 which received recommended N, P2O5 + 50 kg K2O ha-1 + 6 t of FYM in the post-harvest soils of foxtail millet.