Determination of the Effects of Different Potassium Application Doses on Yield and Quality Parameters of Wheat (Triticum spp.)

Abstract

This study was conducted at the Field Crops experimental area of the Faculty of Agriculture at Dicle University during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 growing seasons to evaluate the effects of different potassium doses on the yield and quality components of wheat (Triticum spp.). The study included three bread wheat varieties (Tekin, Dinç, Babil) and three durum wheat varieties (Meya-2, Güneyyıldızı, Eyyubi), and the effects of different doses of potassium sulfate applications were examined. The experiment was designed as a Randomized Complete Block Design with Split-Split Plots with three replications. The parameters evaluated in the study included heading date, number of grains per spike, grain weight per spike, plant height, grain yield, SPAD, NDVI, hectoliter weight, and protein content. The results demonstrated that potassium doses had significant effects on certain growth and quality parameters. Grain weight per spike was measured as 1.80 g, the number of grains per spike as 32.12, plant height as 83.60 cm, hectoliter weight as 79.54 kg, and grain yield as 542.50 kg. The highest grain yield was obtained with the 18 kg da⁻¹ potassium dose. The highest SPAD value (51.61), NDVI (0.57), and grain yield (542.50 kg) were recorded at 12 kg da⁻¹ potassium application. Additionally, the earliest heading (123.17 days) was observed in the 6 kg da⁻¹ potassium application. The highest NDVI (0.57) and protein content (15.19%) were obtained with the 10 kg da⁻¹ potassium dose. The findings indicate that potassium fertilization not only increases yield but also plays a crucial role in determining wheat quality characteristics.