DETERMINATION OF PHYSIOMORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF POTATO CROP REGULATED BY POTASSIUM MANAGEMENT

Balanced use of nutrients is essential for sustainable productivity of crops. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers are being used while potassium (K) application is ignored which causes serious decrease in the status of K in soils of potato growing areas. K has prodigious importance in improving quality and yield of potatoes. Therefore, the research project of field studies was designed with different levels K from SOP to determine its effects on some physio-morphological features of potato. A promising red potato cultivar “Desiree” was selected. Optimal recommended doses of nitrogen and phosphors (250 and125 kg ha^-1 respectively) along with 6 levels of K, i.e. 50,100, 150, 200, 250, 300 kg K2O ha^-1 were applied. Data of different qualitative and quantitative characteristics was collected under the Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications and was analyzed by using standard statistical over the year techniques. The results revealed that SOP at the level of 150 kg ha^-1 gave the best results in most of the parameters (i.e. total emergence percentage, plant height, number of tubers per plant, tuber weight per plant, yield per hectare, TSS, tuber dry weight per plant) while, extremely high dose of SOP showed the poor results as compared to control for some of the parameters. Number of aerial stems per plant, number of leaves per plant, specific gravity of tubers and tuber dry mass did not show any significant change with change in K levels.