ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Nutrition
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1599296
Split Potassium Application Delays Senescence and Increases Grain Yield in Winter Wheat Grown on Sandy and Silt Loam Soils
Provisionally accepted
- 1College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, China
- 2College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China
- 3Shaanxi Province Qian County Agricultural Technology Extension Station, Qianxian, China
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The judicious application of potassium (K) fertilizer plays a critical role in increasing potassium use efficiency, leaf photosynthesis capacity, and winter wheat yield. However, the mechanisms through which split K application improves winter wheat yield across varying soil textures, particularly the dynamics of nitrogen (N) and K uptake and the regulation of leaf senescence responses under different soil textural conditions, have yet to be fully elucidated.In addition, the response mechanism of winter wheat to split K application across different soil types remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism underlying the effects of split K application on winter wheat yield across different soil types and to provide a basis for optimized and judicious K fertilization in the Huang-Huai-Hai plain (3HP). We conducted a two-year field experiment with winter wheat from 2016 to 2018 on silty and sandy loam, using three K application levels (K0, no K; K1, 96 kg ha -1 ; and K2, 120 kg ha -1 ) and two methods (T1, 100% basal application, and T2, 50% basal application + 50% topdressing at jointing). The results showed that the split K application increased the K and N accumulation of winter wheat plants compared to a single application. It also enhanced the flag leaf SPAD value, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity, and soluble protein content after flowering, while decreasing the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in both soil types. Additionally, split K application improved the grain-filling rate at 25 days after flowering, prolonged the active grain-filling period (D) and the actual filling period (T3), and enhanced the 1000-grain weight, grain yield, agronomic efficiency, and partial factor productivity of K fertilizer. Moreover, in sandy loam soil, the split K application was more effective in improving the SPAD value, Pn, Plant N and K accumulation, 1000-grain weight, yield, and agronomic efficiency of K fertilizer compared to silty loam soil. This study provides a basis for region-specific and soil-tailored potassium fertilizer management strategies, thereby optimizing resource utilization.
Keywords: winter wheat, split K application, senescence, Grain weight, yield
Received: 24 Mar 2025; Accepted: 21 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Yin, Wang, Ali, Lin, Gu, Yang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dong Wang, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, 712100, Shaanxi Province, China
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