Effect of foliar sprays of amino acids and potassium on nitrogen-metabolising enzymes, growth and yield of rice

Abstract:A field trial was conducted to determine the effect of foliar applications of amino acids (AA) and potassium (K) on photosynthetic pigments, nitrogen metabolising enzymes, growth and yield of the rice variety ‘Tarom mahali’. The trial, which was comprised of four treatments (control, AA, K and AA+K) using randomised complete block design with three replications, was conducted at the Rice Research Institute of Iran (Amol). Data gathered during 2018 and 2019 showed that the foliar spray of AA and AA+K increased the concentration of photosynthetic pigments, N uptake in grain and straw, and the activity of glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase, whilst reducing the activity of nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase. The foliar application of AA+K also significantly increased plant height, spike length, grain number, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, straw yield and harvest index. Therefore, it can be concluded that the combined spray of AA and K can be a suitable practice for improving the yield of rice along with a reduction in the environmental pollution.