Responses of Crops to Foliar Application of Calcium and Potassium

Author: E Lokesh Goud and Prasann Kumar

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Abstract

Nutrient availability in the soil has become a limiting factor in the production of crops under the optimum conditions of all other resources, as the soil's capacity to supply the required nutrients has been challenged by many factors. Reduced nutrient loss, direct availability of nutrients, lower fertilizer requirements and a high B:C ratio are advantages of foliar application of nutrients over soil application. Calcium is an essential macronutrient that maintains the structure of the plant cell wall, acts as an intracellular messenger in the cytoplasm, assists in other nutrient uptake and mediates enzymatic processes. Calcium foliar application increases the calcium content of the leaves and fruits, increases the growth and yield parameters and the quality of the fruit, slows down the senescence, slows down the development of the fungi in the fruit, reduces the incidence of final rot on the fruit and increases the shelf life of the harvested produce. Calcium foliar spray in combinati

Keywords

Abiotic stress, Blossom End Rot, Calcium, Drymatter, Estragole, Foliar application

Conclusion

The use of foliar nutrients has a more beneficial effect on crop growth and yield than the application of soil. Calcium can be used as a foliar treatment with calcium chloride, calcium nitrate and chelated calcium individually or in combination with other nutrient solutions and growth regulators at different concentrations depending on the source and crop species. Foliar application of Ca improves the shelf life of harvested products by delaying senescence and fungal growth of stored fruit, maintaining cell wall structure, correcting deficiency disorders in plants such as blossom end rot and alleviating stress conditions. Potassium is a key element in plant nutrition that maintains innumerable functions within the plant body, such as enzyme activation, osmotic balance, stomatal closure and opening, water uptake, stress relief and photosynthetic transport within the plant. Potassium can be sprayed on crops in the form of KCl, KNO3, K2SO4, KOH and KH2PO4 at different concentrations depen

References

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How to cite this article

Goud, E Lokesh and Kumar, Prasann (2021). Responses of Crops to Foliar Application of Calcium and Potassium. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 13(1): 54-60.