TY - JOUR AU - Ahmed, Aftab AU - Mohi Ud Din, Atta AU - Aftab, Samina AU - Titriku, John Kwame AU - Ahmed, Shoaib AU - Nizamani, Muhammad AU - Jamali, Zameer Hussain AU - Tei, Xiao AU - Yang, Feng AU - Yang, Wenyu PY - 2021/03/17 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Physiological and nutritional significance of potassium application under sole and intercropped maize (Zea mays L.) JF - Italian Journal of Agronomy JA - Ital J Agronomy VL - 16 IS - 1 SE - Original Articles DO - 10.4081/ija.2021.1737 UR - https://www.agronomy.it/agro/article/view/1737 SP - AB - <p><em><strong>Highlights</strong> </em><br><em>- Potassium nutrient management in maize-soybean strip intercropping can increase the resource use efficiency. </em><br><em>- Compared to the T<sub>0</sub> (no potassium), T<sub>2</sub> (80 kg ha<sup>–1</sup> on maize) application increases the light interception and leaf area index of maize by 17% and 38% respectively. </em><br><em>- Regression analysis reveals a positive relationship between physiological parameters measured at R<sub>2</sub> and at R<sub>6</sub> growth stages in maize under maize-soybean strip intercropping. </em><br><em>- High K<sub>2</sub>O (80 kg ha<sup>–1</sup>) inputs enhanced the partitioning of biomass production in maize. </em><br><em>- Overall, the optimum K<sub>2</sub>O application increased the maize yield by 16% under maize-soybean strip intercropping system relative to control.</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Globally, maize is an essential food and fodder crop. Fertilisers, as soil amendments, particularly K<sub>2</sub>O, could increase maize yields. A Two-year field research was designed in 2018- 2019 to examine the influence of three-potassium fertiliser applications on maize-soybean strip intercropping and sole-maize yield components. A Randomized complete block design with three replications was used, and one of three K<sub>2</sub>O doses (T<sub>0</sub>, 0; T<sub>1</sub>, 40:30; T<sub>2</sub>, 80:60 kg ha<sup>–1</sup>) was given in each plot. The effects K<sub>2</sub>O treatments on photosynthetic characteristics, photosynthetic active radiation, leaf area index, total biomass accumulation, and seed yield were investigated at V<sub>6</sub>, R<sub>2</sub>, R<sub>4</sub>, and R<sub>6</sub>. Compared to T<sub>0</sub>, maize-soybean strip intercropping system and sole-maize results showed T<sub>2</sub> maize enhanced the light interception by 14, 26, 15, and 17% at V<sub>6</sub>, R<sub>2</sub>, R<sub>4</sub>, and R<sub>6</sub> respectively. Maize increased the partitioning of biomass to cob and seed by 8 and 10% at R<sub>6</sub>, respectively in T<sub>2</sub>, relative to T<sub>0</sub> treatment. T<sub>2</sub> showed a higher green leaf area than T<sub>0</sub>; K<sub>2</sub>O applications led to an enhancement in leaf area index at R6 by 38%, under T<sub>2</sub>, and subsequently increased the photosynthetic rate at R<sub>4</sub> and R<sub>6</sub> by 8% and 6% respectively, in both years of the study. These results suggest that we may increase the accumulation of biomass and the yield of the maize seed under maize-soybean strip intercropping system and sole-maize by optimum K application in maize plants.</p> ER -