Effects of Spraying Potash and Magnesia Fertilizer on the Growth, Potassium and Magnesium Nutritional Status of Flue-cured Tobacco

PurposeTo investigate the action effects of different potash and magnesia fertilizers on flue-cured tobacco.

MethodA field experiment which took flue-cured tobacco of cultivar ‘Honghuadajinyuan’ was conducted to explore the effects of spraying potassium sulfate (SOP), organic potassium (OP), high-calcium-magnesia-potash (HCMP), high nitrogen and potassium (HNP), low nitrogen and high potassium (LNHP) and EDTA-magnesium (EDTA-Mg) fertilizer on the growth, disease resistance, potassium and magnesium nutritional status and output of leaves in flue-cured tobacco.

ResultSpraying potash and magnesia fertilizer at the beginning resettle period, the HCMP, HNP, LNHP, combined application of LNHP with EDTA-Mg, all of them could shorten the maturity period of lower tobacco leaves, and promote growth, development and disease resistance of the tobacco plants, based on conventional applying fertilization. Compared spraying HNP, LNHP with water, the content of potassium in leaves significantly increased (P<0.05), respectively, and improved potassium deficiency symptoms in tobacco plants, and improved significantly the yield and quality of tobacco leaves (P<0.05). Meanwhile, compared spraying HCMP, EDTA-Mg, mixture of LNHP and EDTA-Mg with water, the content magnesium in leaves significantly enhanced (P<0.05), respectively, and alleviated symptoms of magnesium deficiency of the tobacco plants, and improved significantly the yield and quality of tobacco leaves (P<0.05) except EDTA-Mg.

ConclusionCompared with spraying water, the application of HCMP, HNP, LNHP and EDTA-Mg fertilizers can promote growth, prevent potassium and magnesium deficiency in flue-cured tobacco, enhance disease resistance, increase significantly the content of potassium and magnesium of tobacco leaves, and return on investment of farmland.