Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pjpqr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-01T08:22:08.839Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Response of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) to Mg and K application on some alfisols and inceptisols of northern Nigeria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

F. A. Elkased ,
G. Lombin  and
L. A. Nnadi
F. A. Elkased
Affiliation:
Division of Agricultural Colleges, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
G. Lombin
Affiliation:
Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
L. A. Nnadi
Affiliation:
Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Fertilizer work in the savannah soils of northern Nigeria has been largely confined to the two most limiting nutrients N and P. The gradual shift towards continuous intensive cultivation coupled with the introduction of improved crop varieties and better crop management has necessitated the consideration of other elements, such as magnesium. The widespread use of K fertilizer in the absence of Mg fertilization may have an adverse effect on Mg availability in view of the well-known ionic antagonisms between Mg and K in plant nutrition (Jacob, 1958; Welter & Werner, 1963). Plants require greater amounts of Mg than normal to prevent deficiency under conditions of high soil K (Ulrich & Ohki, 1956; Kabu & Toop, 1970). Therefore soils hitherto considered to be adequately supplied with Mg may well be suffering from induced Mg deficiency under the present fertilizer programme which involves only K as the major cation. Tobacco is an important cash crop generally rated as a high Mg demanding crop (Adams & Pearson, 1967). The growth characteristics of the crop (enormous leaf development and rapidity of plant growth) make it an excellent crop to study. The abnormality in growth of tobacco, now known as sand drown, was first observed on tobacco grown on sandy soils, especially during periods of excessive rainfall. The abnormality was later found to be due to Mg deficiency.

Type
Short Notes
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 111 , Issue 1 , August 1988 , pp. 199 - 202
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, F. & Pearson, R. W. (1967). Crop response to lime in the southern United States and Puerto. In Soil Acidity and Liming, Series of Agronomy 12 (ed. Pearson, R. W. and Adams, F.), pp. 161–206. Madison, Wisconsin, U. S. A.: American Society of Agronomy.Google Scholar
Chapman, H. D. & Pratt, P. F. (1961). Methods of Analysis for Soils, Plants and Waters. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
D'Hoore, J. L. (1964). Soil Map of Nigeria. Scale 1:5000000. Explanatory Monograph. Lagos: Commission for Technical Co-operation in Africa.Google Scholar
Haeder, H. E. & Mengel, K. (1969). The absorption of potassium and sodium independence on the nitrogen nutrition level of the plant. In Principles of Plant Nutrition (e. d. Mengel, K. and Kirby, A.). Bern, Switzerland: International Potash Institute.Google Scholar
Ilan, I. (1971). Evidence for hormonal regulation of the selectivity of plants in uptake by plant cells. Plant Physiology 25, 230–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jacob, A. (1958). Magnesium. The Fifth Major Plant Nutrient. Translated from the German by Walker, Norman. London: Staples Press.Google Scholar
Jacoby, B., Abas, S. & Steinitz, B. (1973). Rubidium and potassium absorption by beam-leaf slices compared to sodium absorption. Plant Physiology 28, 209–214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kabu, K. L. & Toop, E. W. (1970). Influence of potassium-magnesium on tomato plant growth. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 50, 711–715.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lombin, G. & Mustapha, S. (1981). Potassium response of cotton on some Inceptisols and Oxisols and northern Nigeria. Agronomy Journal 73, 724–729.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singh, H. Y., Yayock, J. Y. & Lombin, G. (1983). Yield response of groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) to applied P and K on the savannah soils of Nigeria. Paper presented at the 3rd International Conference on Phosphorus. Brussels, Belgium, 10 1983.Google Scholar
Spargue, H. B. (1964). Hunger Signs in Crops, 3rd edn.New York: Mc Kay..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tisdale, S. & Nelson, W. (1975). Soil Fertility and Fertilizers, 3rd edn.New York: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Tomlinson, P. R. (1965). Soils of northern Nigeria. Samaru. Miscellaneous Paper no. 1. Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Ulrich, A. & Ohki, K. (1956). Chlorine, bromine and sodium as nutrients for sugar beet plants. Plant Physiology 13, 177–181.Google Scholar
Welte, E.Wener, W. (1963). Potassium-magnesium antagonism in soils and crops. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 14, 180–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar