Potassium schoenite: A sustainable potassium source for Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco production

India is meeting its potassium (K) fertilizer requirement mostly from other countries through imports. Price fluctuation and unavailability of sulphate of potassium during the crop season greatly impact the potassium (K) requirement for flue-cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco. We investigated potassium schoenite (PS/KMS), a sulphur-containing fertilizer as an alternate source of K for FCV tobacco. The field experiments were conducted on FCV tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum L. var. Kanchan) under rainfed and irrigated conditions at ICAR-NIRCA Research Station, Hunsur, Karnataka and Research Station in Jeelugumilli, Andhra Pradesh, India, respectively. The study was conducted to see the effectiveness of PS in comparison with a conventional sulphate of potash. Five treatments were tested using a randomized block design with four replications over two years and 2 locations. The results indicate that PS when utilized as a source of potash, produced cured leaf yield (CLY), K uptake and quality parameters of FCV tobacco at a par with sulphate of potash (SOP). Thus, indigenous PS is found to be highly effective in increasing the productivity of tobacco and its utilization in the tobacco crop compared to imported SOP. PS is a sustainable and effective alternative for the imported SOP for the cultivation of tobacco in the light soils of Karnataka (KLS) and Andhra Pradesh (NLS). PS application @ 652 kg/ha in 3 splits (1:2:1) at 10, 30 and 45 days after planting of FCV tobacco in Northern Light Soils (NLS) of Andhra Pradesh and PS @ 522 kg/ha in 2 equal splits (1:1) at 10 and 30 days’ after planting of FCV tobacco in Karnataka Light Soils (KLS) of Karnataka was recommended for the FCV tobacco farming community.