Potassium Distribution in Some Apple Orchards of High Hill Wet Temperate Zone of Himachal Pradesh

摘要

Soil samples from eighteen orchards in four apple-growing belts of Chamba district were analysed for different K fractions.The water soluble,exchangeable,available,HNO_3 and HC1 extractable K ranged from 0.17-0.68,0.95-3.01,1.12-3.33,4.84-15.40,and 18.61-56.80 m.e.100 g "',respectively.The K content in apple leaves ranged from 0.51-2.00 per cent with a mean value of 1.28 per cent,whereas,the surface and sub-surface exchangeable K in soils ranged from 30-149 and 24-134 mg kg~(-1)with mean values of 67.4 and 59.6 mg kg~(-1)respectively.Correlation revealed a significant and positive relationship between leaf and soil K and fruit yield and soil K with trunk circumference of the trees.Leaf and soil K had a negative but significant relationship with fruit TSS.The soil K also exhibited a similar relationship with fruit weight,volume,and acidity.