Influence of lime, potassium and magnesium on the yield of wheat in pots
1991
Murage, P.M. | Ogolla, H.A. (NPBRC, Njoro (Kenya))
Soils in Uasin Gishu District of Kenya are acidic (pH 4.5-5.5) with a low calcium content (20 of the total CEC). To raise the pH to 6.5 and correct the calcium deficiency requires up to 5 t/ha of lime. Such a high application of lime may necessitate the application of other cations such as K+ and Mg+2 to avoid a yield depression resulting from competitive or selective cation uptake. To test this hypothesis, soil sampled from Uasin Gishu was used in a pot experiment set up as 23 factorial and conducted in a growth cage. Agricultural lime (90 CaCO3) at 5 t/ha, potassium chloride at 31 kg K+/ha and magnesium nitrate at 30 kg Mg+2/ha were used as soil amendments. Two successive crops were grown in the pots to study the residual effect of these nutrients, using the bread wheat variety K.Fahari. Dry matter determination was done at heading and at maturity. Grain yield was also determined. The results indicated a significant (P less than 0.05) yield response to lime, but only in the second cycle. Both Mg+2 and K+ had an individually positive though non-significant effect on dry matter yield at heading. Lime x K+ x Mg+2 interaction resulted in a yield depression in the second experiment
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