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IMPROVING GROWTH  AND  YIELD  OF  SUNFLOWER (HELIANTHUS ANNUUS L.) BY FOLIAR APPLICATION OF POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE (KOH) UNDER SALT STRESS

MUHAMMAD SAEED AKRAM^*1, HABIB-UR-REHMAN ATHAR² AND MUHAMMAD ASHRAF¹

Abstract: An experiment was conducted to assess whether KOH applied as a foliar spray could mitigate the adverse effects of salt stress on  plant  growth and yield of sunflower plants.  For this purpose, KOH @ 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% was applied as a foliar spray to salt stressed and non-stressed sunflower plants. Foliar spray of KOH increased the growth and yield under non-stress and salt stressed conditions. Increasing levels of KOH increased leaf K⁺. Although foliarly applied KOH had growth promoting effects, it did not change nutrient status except leaf K. Thus, foliar application of K as KOH improved growth and yield of sunflower plants by improving K⁺/Na⁺ ratio.

¹Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

²Institute of Pure and Applied Biology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

Corresponding Author's E-mail: saeedbo@hotmail.com