article · Agronomy
Newly reclaimed soils often suffer from poor fertility and low crop productivity. A two-season study examined the combined effects of applying potassium humate at 50 kg per hectare and adjusting planting density on faba bean crops grown in newly reclaimed soil. Researchers tested three densities: 222,222, 166,666, and 133,333 plants per hectare. The application of potassium humate improved plant water status by enhancing membrane stability and relative water content while lowering electrolyte leakage. It also boosted plant growth attributes, physio-biochemical properties, and nutrient uptake. These improvements resulted in higher yields, including greater pod numbers, seed weight, and overall harvest. The combination of potassium humate with a medium planting density of 166,666 plants per hectare achieved the highest productivity, delivering 2.97 tonnes per hectare under newly reclaimed soil conditions.
Farming in newly reclaimed land is challenging due to nutrient-poor soils and low crop productivity. By identifying an effective combination of potassium humate soil treatment and optimal plant spacing, this work demonstrates how faba bean production can be improved in difficult ground. These agronomic adjustments can help farmers secure higher yields and better plant health when bringing new lands into agricultural use.
This research provides applied and field-tested agronomic practices directly relevant to commercial growers and farm managers cultivating faba beans in newly reclaimed lands. The findings define a specific operational regime: applying potassium humate at 50 kg per hectare alongside a medium spacing of 20 by 60 centimetres. Agricultural input suppliers could use this evidence to support product recommendations, while growers can adopt the tested density and amendment rates immediately without requiring specialised technology.
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Several agronomic factors, including planting density, affect plant growth and final yield. New soil suffers from severe fertility shortage and crop productivity. Potassium humate (KH) application improves soil fertility and plant performance under new soil conditions. Therefore, this investigation was performed in two seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 to study the impact of KH application at the rate of 50 kg hectare−1 (ha−1) on growth, yield, physio-biochemical attributes, plant water status and nutrients in faba bean plants grown in newly reclaimed soil under three planting densities, i.e., D1 = 222.222 plants ha−1 (15 × 60 cm), D2 = 166.666 plants ha−1 (20 × 60 cm) and D3 = 133.333 plants ha−1 (25 × 60 cm). The results showed that KH application enhanced tissue water status by increasing the membrane stability index (MSI%) and relative water content (RWC%), while electric leakage (EL%) was reduced, alongside increased growth attributes physio-biochemical properties and nutrients. These results were positively reflected by the improved yield and its components (i.e., number of pods plant−1, 100-seed weight, seed yield plant−1 and seed yield ha−1) in favor of the medium planting density (166.666 plants ha−1). The results of the current study showed that the application of KH with the medium planting density (20 × 60 cm) was the best treatment combination to enhance the performance and productivity (2.97 ton ha−1) of faba bean plants grown under newly reclaimed soil conditions.
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DOI: 10.3390/agronomy11030461
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