CUCUMBER YIELD AND COMPONENTS AS INFLUENCED BY K – SULPHATE AND K – CHLORIDE UNDER CONTROLLED ENVIROMENT AND DRIP IRRIGATION

Y.M.Abu-Dahi,; B.M.AL-Batawi,

	CUCUMBER YIELD AND COMPONENTS AS INFLUENCED BY K – SULPHATE AND K – CHLORIDE UNDER CONTROLLED ENVIROMENT AND DRIP IRRIGATION
The Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Science
Article 1, Volume 40, Issue 5, 2009, Pages 45-54
Authors
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Abstract
A Field experiment was conducted at fall season of 2003/2004 under heated plastic house conditions and drip irrigation at AL-Yousifiya district situated 24 km south of Baghdad in a silty clay loam texture soil (Typic Torrifluvent) , classified as (MM4) (at the series Level) to compare the effect of potassium sulphate (41% K) and potassium chloride (50% K) on yield and its components of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) , cv. Shoa'a by six levels of both K - sulphate and K – chloride (0, 100, 125, 250, 500 and 1000 kg K.ha-1 and 1000 kg N.ha-1 as urea 46% N and 78 kg P.ha-1 as super phosphate (20%P) were used. Randomized Complete Block Design was used with three replicates . Results showed that the potassium sulphate fertilizer had significant effect for all studied characteristics (total yield , plant yield , number of fruit and the weight of fruit) compared with potassium chloride . The level of 1000 kg K.ha-1 of both potassium fertilizers had significant effect compared with the level of 500 kg K.ha-1 . The level of 1000 kg K.ha-1 gave the highest effect for all above mentioned characteristics and gave 130.66 and 128.92 ton.ha-1 of total yield for potassium sulphate and potassium chloride respectively and gave 5.23 and 5.16 kg fruit.plant-1 for potassium sulphate and potassium chloride respectively . For number of fruit the same level gave 61.62 and 60.24 fruit.plant-1 for potassium sulphate and potassium chloride respectively . The same level gave the highest fruit weight that were 85.67 and 83.60 gm.plant-1 for potassium sulphate and potassium chloride respectively . Results also showed, that the economical evaluation indicated that the level of 1000 kg K.ha-1 of both K – sources was superior than the level of 500 kg K.ha-1 of both K – sources, but the level of 1000 kg K.ha-1 of KCl had more benefits than the same level of K2SO4. Therefore the KCl fertilizer can be as a good substituent source of potassium instead of K2SO4 for cucumber especially at the application of high levels of potassium fertilizers under the condition of the experiment.
Keywords
Yield of cucumber fruits; protected agriculture; drip irrigation

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