Effect of Some Potassium Fertilization Treatments on Growth, Productivity and Chemical Composition of Safflower Plant

Abstract

The present study was conducted at El-Kasasin Research Station belonging to Ismailia Governorate Agriculture Research Center in the Department of Medicinal and Aromatic plants during two consecutive seasons of 2020/2021 and 2021/2022. This experiment included 9 treatments, which studied the Effect of mineral potassium fertilization as potassium sulfate (0, 50, and 75 kg/feddan), organic potassium fertilization as potassium humate (0. 2 and 4 kg/ feddan), and their combination treatments on the growth, fixed oil, and active ingredients of safflower. Data showed the effect of potassium sulfate on the growth parameters of safflower, where all treatments gave the highest significant increase compared to control during two seasons, where the treatment with 75 kg/fed. K sulfate produced the highest values in these characters compared to control plants, which record the lowest values under study. Regarding the effect of potassium humate, the data received from the treatment of plants led to a significant increase in all growth parameters under study compared to the other treatments. while the treatment 4 kg/fed. of K humate recorded gave the highest values in this study. In addition, the received data indicate that the interaction between potassium humate and potassium sulfate had a significant effect on the growth characteristics (growth traits, seed yield, petals yield, fixed oil yield and carthamine content) under study, where the treatment recorded of 4 kg/fed. as of K humate and treated with 75kg/fed. as K sulfate produced the highest values of growth and productivity compared to the control and other treatments.