Evaluating the effects of foliar potassium silicate application on small cardamom growth and physiology under drought stress

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at the Small cardamom plantation, Idukki, Kerala during 2021 -2024 summer (February-May) to evaluate the response of small cardamom crop to the foliar application of Potassium silicate under drought situation. The experiment was carried out using a Split-Plot arrangement according to the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The main plots included irrigation intervals (T1, irrigated every 15 days; T2, irrigated every 10 days; and T3, irrigated every 8 days), while the concentrations of potassium silicate fertilizer (1.5 gm S1, 2.5gm S2, and 5gm S3 ml liter-1 of distilled water), in addition to the control treatment S0, which was sprayed with distilled water only, allocated to the sub-plots. The T3 irrigation interval showed the highest average pod yield with 5.42-ton ha-1, while the T1 interval showed the lowest value for capsule yield at 4.23-ton ha-1. This was confirmed by the results of a study that found a significant increase in capsule yield for the plant under water stress.