Nauman Hanif

Effects of Soil-Applied Potassium on Potassium Use Efficiency, Leaf Water, and Biochemical Attributes of Cotton Cultivars Under Reduced Irrigation

Muhammad Naeem Akhtar; Tanveer-ul-Haq; Ghulam Abbass; Tayyaaba Naz; Muhammad Mazhar Iqbal; Muhammad Nauman Hanif; Muhammad Waseem Akhtar
DOI: 10.30848/PJB2025-6(30)
Pakistan Journal of Botany
Volume 57, Issue 6
Published: 2025-07-09

Abstract

Cotton production in Pakistan is often constrained by limited water resources and inadequate potassium (K) fertilization, leading to lower crop resilience and yield. This study aimed to evaluate the ameliorated effect of potassium on cotton under drought stress and the climatic conditions of Multan by assessing the potassium (K) use efficiency and related physiological attributes in cotton cultivars with varying K efficiency. Moreover, we aimed to identify the K-efficient cotton cultivar to provide a helping hand for breeders in developing high-yielding varieties for low K and water-limiting environments. For this purpose, five cotton cultivars (FH-142, IUB-2013, CIM-554, CYTO-124 [K-efficient], and BH-212 [K non-efficient]) were evaluated under two irrigation regimes (reduced and normal) with a standardized K application (50 kg ha-1) across two growing seasons. Under reduced irrigation with applied K, the K-efficient cultivar FH-142 displayed significantly improved agronomic and physiological K use efficiency compared with the K non-efficient cultivar BH-212. Specifically, FH-142 exhibited 67.3% and 62.5% increases in agronomic and physiological use efficiency, respectively, compared with BH-212. Potassium application under normal irrigation generally increased chlorophyll content across all cultivars, with the greatest improvement observed in FH-142 (7.2%). Reduced irrigation with K application increased leaf osmotic potential in all cultivars, indicating improved drought tolerance. However, the magnitude of this increase varied, with BH-212 showing the highest rise (16.2%) and FH-142 exhibiting moderate increase (7.3%). Interestingly, K application under reduced irrigation mitigated membrane leakage, a measure of cell damage, in all cultivars except BH-212. Notably, BH-212 displayed higher membrane leakage (14.2%) than K-efficient cultivars (3.0% - 9.0%). Overall, the K- K-efficient cultivars’ performance order differs from FH-142< CIM-554< CYTO-124< IUB-2013. The key findings highlight the importance of potassium for mitigating the negative effects of water stress on cotton plants. Several cultivars, including FH-142, CIM-554, CYTO-124, and IUB-2013, demonstrated superior performance under both irrigation levels with and without potassium application, suggesting their potassium-efficient nature. FH-142 outperformed other cultivars under water stress with K application, demonstrating exceptional potassium recovery efficiency and reinforcing its suitability for drought-prone, K-deficient soils. These findings suggest that selecting K-efficient cotton cultivars like FH-142, CYTO-124, IUB-2013, and CIM-554 could improve cotton resilience and yield under limited water and K availability, aiding farmers and supporting breeders in developing high-yield, drought-tolerant varieties

Keywords
Cotton cultivars Leaf area index Water potentials Membrane leakage Physiological use efficiency
Authors ⌄
Muhammad Naeem Akhtar
Corresponding Author
  • Pesticide Quality Control Laboratory, Multan, Pakistan
Tanveer-ul-Haq
  • Department of Soil & Environmental Sciences, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan
Ghulam Abbass
  • Barani Agricultural Research Institute, Chakwal, Pakistan.
Tayyaaba Naz
  • Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, 38000-Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Muhammad Mazhar Iqbal
  • Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, 40100-Sargodha, Pakistan.
Muhammad Nauman Hanif
  • Department of Soil & Environmental Sciences, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan
Muhammad Waseem Akhtar
  • Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. Pakistan
Citations (0) ⌄
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Other Information ⌄

Article History

Received: September 4, 2024

Accepted: December 17, 2024

Published: July 09, 2025

How to Cite?

Akhtar, M. N., Ul-haq, T., Abbass, G., Naz, T., Iqbal, M. M., Hanif, M. N., & Akhtar, M. W. (2025). Effects of soil-applied potassium on potassium use efficiency, leaf water, and biochemical attributes of cotton cultivars under reduced irrigation. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 57(6). https://doi.org/10.30848/PJB2025-6(30)

Author’s Contribution

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Plant Physiology/ Chemistry Section of Central Cotton Research Centre Multan-Pakistan for providing the analysis facility and testing material used in this study.

Conflict of interest

No known competing financial interests or personal relationships could have influenced the work reported in this paper.

Funding

The authors extend their appreciation to Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP2025R390), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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