Obada Attaf(1) Sawsan Haifa(1) Rabie Zaina(2) and Majd Darwish*(3)
(1). Soil and Land Sciences. Faculty of Agriculture. Tishreen University. Lattakia. Syria.
(2). Agricultural Research Center in Latakia, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research GCSAR, Damascus, Syria.
(3). Field Crops Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria.
(* Corresponding author: Dr. Majd Darwish. Lattakia. Syria. E-mail: majds26@yahoo.com).
Received: 23/05/2019 Accepted: 15/07/2019
Abstract
The experiment was carried out at the Agricultural Research Station, Setkhiris, Lattakia, during the agricultural season 2018, according to the randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates per treatment. The research aimed to study the effect of drip irrigation and potassium fertilization that was added to irrigation water or directly to soil on tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum var. Virginie vk51), and on some physical soil properties (bulk density (g/cm3) and total porosity (%)), and morphological and physiological characteristics (the number of leaves per plant, plant leaf area (m2)), and yield of fresh and dry leaves (kg/1000 m2), besides the content of dry tobacco leaf with biochemical compounds (the total protein and the soluble sugars, nicotine (%)) and some mineral oxides (K2O)). The drip irrigation method with potassium fertilization reduced the bulk soil density, that was positively reflected on the increase of the total porosity during the agricultural season, and increased number of leaves per plant and plant leaf area, and giving the highest fresh yield of leaves (2120.7 kg/1000 m2) and dry yield of leaves (441.31 kg/m2), especially when the whole potassium fertilizer was added to the irrigation water, as well as improving the quality of dry tobacco, where the total protein and nicotine content (%) decreased, and the percentage (%) of total soluble sugars increased. According to the results, it could be proposed the use the drip irrigation method with potassium fertilization added to irrigation water, considering to its significant role in stimulating the growth of the Virginie variety and in improving the quality of tobacco produced.
Keyword: Drip irrigation, Potassium fertilization, Virginie tobacco, Nicotine.
Full paper in Arabic: PDF