IMPACT OF POTASSIUM ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF BARLEY (HORDEUM VULGARE L.) UNDER WATER DEFICIT CONDITIONS

Potassium plays a major role in enhancing tolerance of plants to drought by increasing translocation and maintaining water balance. A field experiment was undertaken to assess the growth and yield of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under the various irrigation and potassium levels during 2013-14 in a three replicated split plot design. The treatments consisted of three irrigation levels (I0 = soaking dose, I1 = one irrigation at 35 days after sowing (DAS) and I2 = two irrigations at 35 and 70 DAS), and three potassium levels (K0 = 0.0 kg ha-1 (control), K1 = 25 kg ha-1 and K2 = 50 kg ha-1). The results indicate that irrigation and potassium levels affected significantly (P ≤ 0.05) the growth and yield of barley. Among irrigation levels, significantly (P ≤ 0.05) highest grain yield (2474.3 kg ha-1) was recorded with two irrigations (35 and 70 DAS). In case of potassium levels, considerably (P ≤ 0.05) maximum grain yield (2430.5 kg ha-1) was noted with potassium application rate of 50 kg ha-1. With respect to interactive effects, higher, though statistically equal (P ≥ 0.05), grain yield (2677.0 and 2570.7 kg ha-1) was documented in interactive effect of irrigation applied twice (35 and 70 DAS) x potassium applied at 50 kg ha-1, and one irrigation (35 DAS) x potassium at 50 kg ha-1, respectively. Our results suggest that potassium  can compensate drought stress and its application at 50 kg ha-1 coupled with one irrigation (35 DAS) and/or two irrigations (35 and 70 DAS)  can be suitable for obtaining optimum yield of barley.