| Summary: | Abstract Background Garlic (Allium sativum L.) has been used as a medicine throughout ancient and modern history; it has been taken to prevent and treat a wide range of conditions and diseases. In Bangladesh, the demand for garlic increases day by day, but on the other hand, due to a shortage of land, production of garlic is not up to the mark. However, to solve the problem, a pot culture experiment was conducted at the net house of the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period of November 2007 to March 2008 to examine the effect of potassium (K) on the growth, yield, nutrient content, and its uptake by garlic. Results In this study, six levels of K viz. 0, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 250 kg ha−1 were used as treatments. All the parameters, i.e., plant height, number of leaves plant−1, fresh and dry weights of leaves (g plant−1), fresh and dry weights of bulb (g plant−1), bulb diameter, and number of cloves bulb−1 significantly varied due to different doses of K application. The maximum total yield and size of garlic bulb were obtained with potassium application at 200 kg ha−1. Potassium at 200 kg ha−1 produced the highest fresh and dry weights of bulbs and leaves, diameter, moisture content, number of cloves, and yield as compared to the other treatments. The uptake of nutrients like N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, B, and Na significantly varied due to the application of different doses of K. The highest contents and nutrient uptake of N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, B, and Na were found with potassium application at 200 kg ha−1. Conclusions The overall results suggested that the yield of garlic increased with increasing potassium fertilizer, where K application at 200 kg ha−1 is suitable for obtaining maximum yield.
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