Work

Potassium silicate as a replacement for potassium chloride in cotton plants: impacts on agronomical variables

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Potassium silicate (K2SiO3) has slow release, low salinity, and is chlorine-free, and its use in substitution of potassium chloride (KCl) become an alternative for a more sustainable agriculture. This study evaluated the response of cotton plants to different doses and sources of potassium (K). It was used a randomized block design, in a 2 × 5 factorial scheme with 2 sources (KCl and K2SiO3) and 5 doses (0, 80, 170, 250, and 300 kg of K2O ha−1). The components evaluated were: plant height, initial and final plant population, mass of 10 average bolls, and 10 bolls per thirds of the plant (lower, middle, and upper), seed cotton yield, fiber yield, and fiber percentage. The use of KCl in soils with K levels close to the ideal for the crop did not affect cotton development and yield, regardless of the dose used. The K2SiO3 contributed to the average mass of 10 bolls and 10 lower bolls, with 170 kg ha−1 of potassium being the best dose for both when using K2SiO3. This dose also contributed to productivity regardless of the source used. Future work can explore the effects of this source under different growing conditions and its economic viability on a large scale.

Source: Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science

DOI: 10.1080/03650340.2025.2464656