Response of Wheat to Potassium Application at Two Sites With Contrasting Soil Properties in the Mexicali Valley, Mexico
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28940/terralatinoamericana.v43i.2402Keywords:
cereals, extensive crops, cellular extract, protein, Triticum aestivum L.Abstract
The growth, nutritional status, and yield response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to potassium fertilization were evaluated at two agricultural sites with contrasting soil properties in the Mexicali Valley, Baja California, Mexico. The experiments were conducted during the 2018-2019 fall-winter season using a randomized block design with four K₂O application rates (0, 80, 160, and 320 kg ha-1). The normalized dif ference vegetation index (NDVI), NO₃⁻ and K⁺ concentrations in stem cell extract (SCE), grain yield, grain quality traits (1000-grain weight, protein content, and hectoliter weight), and residual soil chemical properties (pH, salinity, and NO₃⁻ and K⁺ concentrations in saturated paste extract) were measured. At the site with high initial salinity (EC > 5 dS m⁻¹), no significant ef fects were observed for any of the evaluated variables. In contrast, at the lower salinity site (EC = 2.5 dS m⁻¹), statistical dif ferences (p < 0.05) were detected in K⁺ concentration in the SCE at 33 and 65 days af ter seeding. Grain yield and quality were not significantly af fected by potassium fertilization. The initial K⁺ concentrations in soil and SCE indicate suf ficient nutrient availability, which likely limited the agronomic response to potassium fertilization. Based on soil K⁺ values, it is concluded that decisions regarding potassium fertilization should be based on saturated paste extract analysis to avoid unnecessary applications in hyposalic calcaric Vertisols and hypersodic calcaric Cambisols.
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