Response of sugar beet (beta vulgaris, l.)‎ To potassium application and irrigation with saline water

Abstract EN

A pot experiment was conducted during the winter growing seasons of 2001/2002 and 2002/2003 in the greenhouse of the Faculty of Agric., Al-Azhar Univ., Assiut campus.

A complete randomized design with four replications was used in this study.

A combination of four potassium levels (0, 24, 48, and 72 kg K2O /fed) with four levels of saline irrigation water (tap water, 2000, 4000 and 6000 ppm) on root yield and some chemical composition of sugar beet.

The mean effects of these interactions confirmed depressing manner in sugar beet growth with increasing salt concentration in the irrigation water up to 6000.

The same trend holds true regarding both refineable sugar and purity percentages of the root juice.

On contrary, TSS% in roots was significantly increased under such prevailing unfavourable conditions.

The sustainable results ascertained the significance effect of salinity levels in irrigation water on K, Na or K/Na ratio in roots of sugar beet.

Total soluble solids, refineable sugar, purity percentages of root juice, total root yield and top yield of sugar beet plants increased as K fertilizer increased.

Generally, sugar beet plants could tolerate saline water up to 2000 ppm without impaired effects on growth yield and quality.

Moreover, K application resulted in improving the quality of sugar beet roots either irrigated with saline water or with tap water