Impact of potassium foliar application at various growth stages on rice productivity and grain quality characteristics at different storage periods [electronic resource].

Includes references.

The present study was carried out at the Experimental Farm of Agricultural Research Station, Sakha, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt over 2018 and 2019 rice growing seasons. This investigation aimed to study the effect of potassium sulphate foliar application on the productivity and grain quality characteristics of rice (Sakha 109 variety). The potassium sulphate was applied at the concentration of 1% K2SO4 at various growth stages. The examined treatments were; K1: Control (distilled water spray), K2: spray at 20 day after transplanting (DAT), K3: spray at 35 DAT, K4: spray at 50 DAT, K5: spray at 20 and 35 DAT, K6: spray at 20 and 50 DAT, K7: spray at 35 and 50 DAT, K8: spray at 20, 35 and 50 DAT. The experiment was planned in a Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications. At harvest, the studied characteristics were plant height, number of panicles per hill, panicle length, panicle weight, number of filled grains per panicle, unfilled grains percentage,1000-grain weight and total yield of both grain and straw per hectare. The grain quality characteristics (Hulling, milling, head rice, nitrogen content and potassium content) were measured at different storage periods (0, 3, 6 and 9 months after harvest). The results showed that all studied traits were significantly affected by potassium treatments. Potassium application improved the grain quality characteristics at different storage periods. Foliar application of potassium three times at different growth stages (K8) surpassed other treatments in terms of yield quantity and quality.
Key words: Potassium fertilizer, Yield rice quality, Milling, Head rice.

Summary in Arabic.