Effed of Po~ium on Yield and Quality of Sugarcane on Calciorthent unde~ Drought Condition

Field experiments were conducted on a calcareous alluvial sandy loam soil (Calciorthent) to study the effect of potassium on yield and quality of sugarcane under drought condition. There was significant increase in cane yield by potassium application. The yield ofcane increased significantly up to February and decreased significantly during March and April under soil water stress condition. Less deterioration in cane yield was recorded in the potash treated plots. The uptakee of K and sucrose content of the cane juice increased significantly up to 50 kg potash per ha level and also increased from January to April in potash treated plots. Purity coefficient also improved continuously up to March and decreased in April. Commercial cane sugar(CCS) per hectare followed almost similar trend as that of cane yield. Fibre per cent in cane decreased significantly with the application of potash up to 50 kg ha⁻¹ which increased continuously with advancing harvesting periods. Available potash in soil increased with increasing potash levels at all the stages of crop growth with its minimum value at grand growth and maximum at formative stage.