Assessment of the Impact of Solid and Liquid Fertilizer Applications on Yield and Yield Components in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Year 2025, Volume: 14 Issue: 1, 1 - 11, 16.07.2025

Hatun Barut , Sait Aykanat , Selma Kaya , Fatma Gökmen Yılmaz , Sait Gezgin

Abstract

This research aimed to compare the effects of liquid fertilizers on cotton yield and specific yield components relative to traditional solid fertilizers. The study employed 20-20-0, 15-15-15 and Di Ammonium Phosphate- DAP (18-46-0) fertilizers for base fertilization, with solid urea (46%) as top dressing. Liquid fertilizers, including orthophosphate and polyphosphate-based liquid base fertilizers (liquid 20-20-0, liquid 15-15-15 and liquid DAP) were developed and applied. Urea ammonium nitrate (UAN-32% N) was used for all top dressing in treatments. The experiments were conducted at the Eastern Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute in Doğankent, following a randomized block trial design with three replications. Three separate field trials were established, each corresponding to a different compound fertilizer: 20-20-0, 15-15-15 and DAP. Within each trial, five treatments were applied, using the cotton variety "Karizma" consistently. The results indicated that liquid fertilizers containing phosphorus, particularly in the form of polyphosphate, yielded higher values for the examined properties of cotton cultivation when used for base fertilization. Although statistically insignificant, compared to conventional fertilizer applications (solid 20-20 + Urea, solid 15-15-15 + Urea, solid DAP + Urea), the use of liquid fertilizers with polyphosphate (liquid 20-20 + UAN, liquid 15-15-15 + UAN, liquid DAP + UAN) led to yield increases of 16.5%, 25.1% and 9.9%, respectively. Additionally, in the trials conducted, liquid UAN fertilizer proved to be more effective in enhancing cotton yields than solid urea fertilizer when used for top dressing.

Keywords

Cotton, Solid fertilizer, Liquid fertilizer, Orthophosphate, Polyphosphate, Yield

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