Effects of potassium application on nutrient absorption dynamics,biomass and quality formation of forage maize

The effects of potassium application on nutrient absorption dynamics, biomass and quality of forage maize named Baimaya were studied in meadow-chestnut soil of Northwest plateau of Hebei province.The results indicated that potassium fertilizer application increased the forage maize biomass by 7.96%-17.60% and significantly improved nitrogen and phosphorus absorption.Compared with no-potassium treatment,potassium application increased nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by 17.73-40.28 kg/ha and 9.32-28.69 kg/ha,respectively,and increased the content of crude protein and crude fat in maize plant by 9.40%-21.5% and 8.90%-38.12%,respectively.The result also indicated that plant height,stem thickness,leaf area index and relative content of chlorophyll in the leaves increased congruously,providing the nutritional basis for high yield and quality of forage maize production.The use of potassium fertilizer for forage maize is an effective technique to increase the biomass yield and improve the nutritional quality.