Abstract
The objective of this study was to quantitatively determine and to separate the effects of potassium deficiency on growth and development of a maize plant. Maize varieties Vi (Sadaf) and V2 (Sultan) were grown in a sand culture. When the coleoptile leaf was fully expanded, three level of K supply i-e Ko = 8 mM; Kw = 4 mM and ICZE.R0 = 0 mM were established by varying K concentration in the Long Ashton nutrient solution. The supply of respective nutrient media was maintained from coleoptile leaf stage through silking. A thermal time in growing degree days (GOD) was calculated to characterize the thermal environment of the corn plants. The leaf area was estimated daily non-destructively as a measure of growth of a maize plant. Number of leaves per plant, irrespective of a leaf size and the number of leaves per plant in Haun scale were used as a measure of development of a plant and were also recorded on dally basis. There was straight-line linear relationship between the number of leaves of Vr and V2 and the thermal time since sowing for each level of K supply. The development rat of Vi and Vs in &FRG! level was 10 and 15%, respectively slower than that in KO level. . At leaf stage 11, the leaf area in ICZERO was about 46% less than the leaf area in Ko ; and the leaf area in Km was about 25% less than the leaf area in Ko supply. At the stage of tasseling, the leaf area in Kzeeo was about 37% less compared to Ko and 26% less than the leaf area in Ku. The differences established in the size of leaf area by the differential supply of K at the tasseling stage were maintained at the silking stage
Muhammad Ashraf, Muhammad Yousaf, Z.I. Ahmad, Amir Aman Ullah. (2002) Effect of K supply on growth and development of maize (Zea mays L.), The Journal Soil & Environment , Volume 21, Issue (1-2).
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