Effect of Potassium Fertilizer on Yield and Yield Components of HomWarin Rice Variety in Low Fertility Sandy Soil

Abstract

The objective of this research was to study the effect of potassium (K) fertilizer rate on growth, yield and yield components of HomWarin rice variety grown in low fertile sandy soils. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications and five rate of K treatments comprising 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 kg K2O per rai. Each treatment was applied with nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers at 12 (N) and 8 (P2O5) kg per rai, respectively. Split fertilizers were established in three application timings. The first application was applied 15 days after transplanting with 40 percent of total fertilizer established in treatments. The second and third applications were applied at tillering (40%) and booting stages (20%), respectively. The results revealed that the potassium application at the rate of 18 kg K2O per rai significantly caused the longest panicle length, number of seeds per panicle and the 1,000 grain weight of HomWarin rice variety (p<0.05). Different rates of the potassium application displayed no significant effects on height, number of tillers per culm, number of panicles per culm, shoot dry weight, filled grain percentage, unfilled grain percentage and grain yield. Nevertheless, potassium fertilizer at 18 kg K2O per rai tended to produce the highest grain yield of HomWarin (927.56 kg per rai).