Effect of Foliar Application of Different Potassium Forms on the Growth and Flowering of Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) Plants

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted during 2018 and 2019 seasons in Sakha Horticulture Research Station, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt to study the effect of foliar application of potassium sulphate 50%, potassium nitrate 43% (1, 2 and 3 g/l water) and potassium silicate 38% (1, 2 and 3 ml/l water) on growth and flowering of snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) plants. The results indicated that foliar spraying with the different potassium treatments significantly affected all the studied parameters in terms of plant height, number of shoots per plant, fresh and dry weight of plant, roots and flower, number of flowers per plant, spike length, total chlorophyll content and nutritional status (N, P, K and Si) as compared with control. Foliar spraying with potassium sulphate at 3 g/l water gave the significantly highest values of plant height, number of shoots per plant, fresh and dry weight of plant, roots and flower, number of flowers per plant, spike length and total chlorophyll compared to other treatments. Data showed also that, growth parameters, flowering characteristics and nutritional status were significantly increased with increasing the levels of potassium from 1 to 3 g/l water or ml/l water under the same source of potassium. So, it can be concluded that potassium foliar spray can be used as a partial substitution of the recommended soil amended potassium for increasing nutrients uptake and thus stimulating growth and flowering characteristics of snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) plants and potassium sulphate at 3 g/l water can be used in this respect.