Effect of Sowing Dates and Potassium Fertilizer Rates on Seed Yield of Lima Bean CV. (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Abstract

To investigate the effect of sowing dates and potassium fertilizer rates on seeds yield and yield component of lima bean. Two field experiments were conducted at Sakha Agricultural Research Station during 2015 and 2016 summer seasons. Four sowing dates (1st May, 15th May, 30th May and 15th June) and potassium fertilizer rates (0, 50, 75, and 100 kg/fed) were used as treatments. The main findings could be summarized as follows:Sowing dates significantly affected seed yield (t/fed), No. of seeds/pod, pod length (cm), No. of pods/plant, pods weight/plant, plant height (cm), stem diameter (cm), No. of branches/plant. Sowing on 1st May significantly exceeded all studied traits compared with other sowing dates and produced the highest yield (2.477 t/fed), while the lowest sowing date on 15th June. The stem diameter increased with sowing late (1.810 t/fed.).Potassium fertilizer rates significantly affected on seed yield (t/fed), No. of seeds/pod, pod length (cm) , No. of pods/plant, pods weight (t/ fed), plant height (cm), stem diameter (cm), No. of branches/ plant. The results indicated that the highest lima bean seed yield was 2.375 (t/fed) when fertilized with100kg k2o/fed and the lowest at control zero fertilizer 1.990 (t/fed).It could be concluded that early sowing on 1st May with addition potassium fertilizer rate at 100 kg k2o/fed were the recommended treatment to produce the highest seed yield production of lima bean at North Delta under the environmental condition of Kafr EL-Sheikh Governorate.