PJB-2024-459
Effects of soil-applied potassium on potassium use efficiency, leaf water, and biochemical attributes of cotton cultivars under reduced irrigation
Muhammad Naeem Akhtar, Tanveer-Ul Haq, Ghulam Abbass, Tayyaaba Naz, Muhhamd Mazhar Iqbal, Muhammad Nauman Hanif And Muhammad Waseem Akhtar
Abstract
Cotton production in Pakistan is often constrained by limited water resources and inadequate potassium (K) fertilization, leading to lower crop resilience and yield. This study aimed to evaluate the ameliorated effect of potassium on cotton under drought stress and the climatic conditions of Multan by assessing the potassium (K) use efficiency and related physiological attributes in cotton cultivars with varying K efficiency. Moreover, we aimed to identify the K-efficient cotton cultivar to provide a helping hand for breeders in developing high-yielding varieties for low K and water-limiting environments. For this purpose, five cotton cultivars (FH-142, IUB-2013, CIM-554, CYTO-124 [K-efficient], and BH-212 [K non-efficient]) were evaluated under two irrigation regimes (reduced and normal) with a standardized K application (50 kg ha-1) across two growing seasons. Under reduced irrigation with applied K, the K-efficient cultivar FH-142 displayed significantly improved agronomic and physiological K use efficiency compared with the K non-efficient cultivar BH-212. Specifically, FH-142 exhibited 67.3% and 62.5% increases in agronomic and physiological use efficiency, respectively, compared with BH-212. Potassium application under normal irrigation generally increased chlorophyll content across all cultivars, with the greatest improvement observed in FH-142 (7.2%). Reduced irrigation with K application increased leaf osmotic potential in all cultivars, indicating improved drought tolerance. However, the magnitude of this increase varied, with BH-212 showing the highest rise (16.2%) and FH-142 exhibiting moderate increase (7.3%). Interestingly, K application under reduced irrigation mitigated membrane leakage, a measure of cell damage, in all cultivars except BH-212. Notably, BH-212 displayed higher membrane leakage (14.2%) than K-efficient cultivars (3.0% - 9.0%). Overall, the K- K-efficient cultivars’ performance order differs from FH-142< CIM-554< CYTO-124< IUB-2013. The key findings highlight the importance of potassium for mitigating the negative effects of water stress on cotton plants. Several cultivars, including FH-142, CIM-554, CYTO-124, and IUB-2013, demonstrated superior performance under both irrigation levels with and without potassium application, suggesting their potassium-efficient nature. FH-142 outperformed other cultivars under water stress with K application, demonstrating exceptional potassium recovery efficiency and reinforcing its suitability for drought-prone, K-deficient soils. These findings suggest that selecting K-efficient cotton cultivars like FH-142, CYTO-124, IUB-2013, and CIM-554 could improve cotton resilience and yield under limited water and K availability, aiding farmers and supporting breeders in developing high-yield, drought-tolerant varieties
To Cite this article:
Akhtar, M.N., T.U. Haq, G. Abbass, T. Naz, M.M. Iqbal, M.N. Hanif and M.W. Akhtar. 2025. Effects of soil-applied potassium on potassium use efficiency, leaf water, and biochemical attributes of cotton cultivars under reduced irrigation. Pak. J. Bot., 57(6): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2025-6(30)
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