Foliar spray of potassium for high yield and quality of Himsagar mango.
Dutta P., Dhua R. S.
Author Affiliation: Faculty of Horticulture, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur - 741 252, West Bengal, India.
Horticultural Journal 18 : 153-156
Abstract : The effects of K2SO4, KCl and KNO3, sprayed to foliage at 1 or 2%, on the yield and quality of mango (cv. Himsagar) were studied in Kalyani, West Bengal, India. The application of K improved the yield and quality of fruits, and hastened fruit ripening. K2SO4 at 2% resulted in the greatest fruit weight (290.0 g), yield (184.0 fruits or 53.36 kg per tree), volume (277.50 cm3) and length (8.95 cm), and lowest physiological weight loss (12.45%) and number of days to fruit ripening (5). At harvest and during fruit ripening, this treatment also gave the highest concentrations of total soluble solids (8.20 and 18.20°Brix, respectively), reducing sugar (2.70 and 3.22%) and nonreducing sugar (2.11 and 11.59%), and lowest starch content (7.57 and 1.68%). The N content of fruits generally increased with increasing KNO3 rate, whereas K2SO4 or KCl reduced the N content of fruits. K improved the P, K, Zn and Mn contents, but reduced the Ca and Fe contents of fruits. The N, P, K, Zn and Mn contents increased, whereas the Fe content of leaves decreased with K application. KNO3 was more effective in the enhancement of N, Zn and Mn contents of leaves, whereas K2SO4 and KCl was more effective in the improvement of leaf K content.