Abstract

Potassium (K), being an essential major nutrient, is critical for sustenance of crop yields. Removal of K by crops is either equal to or more than that of nitrogen (N). Balanced nutrition, comprising of application of N, phosphorus (P) and K in optimum proportions holds key to the maximization of crop productivity. Scant or non-application of K fertilizer has exhausted soils of their native K and is coming in the way of realizing the potential yields. Sugarcane crop, because of its high K requirements, must be fertilized with K to produce an optimum yield of the millable canes and also get the quality cane juice. Field experiments with sugarcane variety Co 0238 were conducted on the alluvial soil of National Sugar Institute, Kanpur during 2015-16 and 2016-17 using N and K fertilizers in different combinations. Data emanating from these experiments on several physico-chemical and nutritional parameters of sugarcane such as length, diameter, number of leaves, weight, millable canes, yield, available N, P & K, brix, pol per cent cane, purity and benefit: cost ratio showed that the treatment comprising of 240 kg N + 120 kg K₂O ha^-1 vmaximized the economic yields and produced the best quality cane. Results indicate that the application of K in the range of 120 or 180 kg K₂O ha^-1 along with N can provide higher cane yield and improve further the cane quality attributing characteristics and benefit: cost ratio and sustain the soil health.

Keywords: Sugarcane yield, cane quality, potash fertilization and soil health.