Potassium Application Impacts Chickpea Yield and Nutritional Status

As one of the three primary plant nutrients, plant growth and development depend on soil potassium (K) availability. However, plants often face K deficiency in the soil. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an excellent source of vegetable protein. However, optimum chickpea growth is affected by K limitation. This study evaluated whether K application in an Oxisol influences chickpea growth, grain yield, and nutritional status. We conducted a greenhouse experiment in an Oxisol with four K application rates (0, 40, 80, and 150 kg ha(-1)) and four replicates. Our results showed that K application significantly increased chickpea grain yield (R-2 = 0.968), shoot weight, root dry weight, and the number of pods. In addition, the K application rate in the soil increased with increasing K application rate. In addition, the concentrations of K and P in the grain are affected by K application. In addition, K improved the K concentration in the shoot (R-2 = 0.756) and grain (R-2 = 0.833). However, the application of high levels of K did not increase K accumulation in the seeds, indicating that the use of low doses of K (<= 80 kg ha(-1)) is sufficient to support plant growth and nutrition and avoid K loss. Finally, the benefits of K in plants are more than an increase in the grain yield of crops. However, K plays a dominant role in the root system. For instance, this benefit enhances K acquisition from the soil for plants.