The potassium fertilization in top dressing is recommended for the carrot production. But, there are not researches that confirm this necessity. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of potassium rates in top dressing on the yield of carrot hybrid Bangor. The experiment was carried out in São Manuel, São Paulo state, Brazil, from May 26th to August 30th, 2010. Five treatments (0; 23; 45; 68 and 90 kg ha-1 of K2O in top dressing) were evaluated in randomized blocks experimental design, with five replications and 40 plants per plot. After the harvest, fresh weight of roots and shoots, diameter and length of roots were evaluated. The highest yield (103.8 t ha-1) was estimated for 41.6 kg ha-1 of K2O. Lesser yield than that one obtained with the control treatment (90.7 t ha-1) was obtained with the highest rate of K2O (86.1 t ha-1), showing that excessive fertilization, besides being more expensive, can even reduce yield.
Daucus carota; fertilization; productivity
