High potassium demand in fruiting crops, why potash is often under applied, splitting potash.
How much potash does a heavy fruiting crop like banana or tomato actually need versus cereals?
VVelusamy Pandian6 महीने पहले · 152 व्यू
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🌾Farmer.in Krishi Teamविशेषज्ञ ✓5 महीने पहले
Heavy fruiting and tuber crops like banana, tomato, potato, and many vegetables remove far more potassium than typical cereals, because potassium drives fruit size, filling, quality, and shelf life, so their potash need is high and often under applied by farmers who focus on nitrogen. Cereals need potassium too but usually less per unit yield. The practical points are to give these fruiting crops a generous, soil test based potash dose, split it into several applications through the fruiting period rather than one basal dose, and consider SOP near harvest for quality on chloride sensitive crops. Many Indian fields are low in potash from years of nitrogen heavy fertilising. Set the exact dose from your Soil Health Card and crop, and follow your KVK; do not over apply.
MMurugaiyan Subramani5 महीने पहले
I used to feed my tomato mostly nitrogen and wondered why the fruit was small and did not keep well. Once I gave proper potash, split through the fruiting period, the fruit size and shelf life improved clearly. Potash is the nutrient most of us under apply on fruiting crops.
PPalanisamy Ganesan4 महीने पहले
Split the potash, do not give it all at planting. Banana and tomato keep pulling potassium right through fruiting, so a single basal dose runs out. I give several smaller doses through drip across the fruiting months and the difference in bunch and fruit filling is obvious.