Influence of Urea and Nano-Potassium Interaction on Grain Quality and Protein Content of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important cereal crops worldwide and represents a major source of food and nutrition for the global population. Improving fertilization practices to increase wheat productivity and grain quality has become an important objective in modern agriculture. The objective of the study was to compare the impact of urea fertilization with various levels of nano-potassium (Nano K) on grain production and other quality characteristics of wheat under pot conditions of the 2025 to 2026 growing season in the experimental garden of the plant department, Faculty of Science, Sebha University. The experiment involved six treatments: a control, recommended urea fertilization, and urea combined with nano-potassium at levels of 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 ppm. The treatments were arranged in five replicates under controlled pot conditions. The results revealed significant differences among the treatments. The Nano K 1500 ppm + Urea treatment exhibited the highest performance, recording the maximum values for Fibers (0.028 g/100 g DW), Gluten (0.278 g/100 g DW), and Protein (0.153 g/100 g DW). Regarding mineral content, the Nano K 1000 ppm + Urea treatment excelled in Potassium content (0.0054 g/100 g DW), whereas the 1500 ppm concentration recorded the highest Phosphorus (0.004 g/100 g DW). For Nitrogen accumulation, the sole Urea treatment achieved the maximum value of (0.936 g/100 g DW). These parameters positively influenced the final yield, with the 1500 ppm concentration achieving the highest dry weight of grains per spike (9.1 g). Conversely, increasing the Nano K concentration to 2000 ppm led to a sharp decline across all measured traits, while the control treatment recorded the lowest values for most parameters. These findings demonstrate the potential of nano-fertilizers to enhance wheat productivity, grain quality, and nutrient use efficiency under controlled conditions, with promising implications for sustainable crop production in arid and semi-arid environments.