Interactive Effects of Saline Irrigation Water and N-P Applications on Wheat Plants Grown on a Calcareous Soil PDF

Keywords

saline, soils, grains

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted on calcareous soil study the interactive effects of saline irrigation water and N-P application rates on growth, yield, N and P content in grains of wheat variety Giza 157. A positive responses in plant height, number of tillers, grain yield, N and P content was obtained for the added N and/or P rates. The degree of response varied considerably from one trait to another at the variable N and P rates. On average, the reductions obtained at the optimum N and P levels due to increasing salinity were subsequently 9.4, 27.6, 18.5, 4.4 and 15.1% for the above-mentioned traits. The interaction effect of NxP treatments was clearly pronounced on the number of tillers, grain yield and its P content. The differences between N treatments along P rates varied among the measured parameters. Number of tillers was linearly and quadratically increased with increasing N rates under both salinity treatments. By increasing the level of salinity, number of tillers was decreased along N rates, but the degree of reduction was, however, greater at the highest N level. Phosphorus X salinity interaction, only influenced the grain yield and its P content. Increasing salinity produced a greater reduction in yield at the higher P rates than the lower ones. A greater reduction in P content was detected between P2 and P3 due to increasing salinity. Since the grain yield was not drastically reduced under saline treatment, it was concluded that application rates of 150 kg N/ha and 75 kg P2O5/ha were effective for increasing yield under saline and non-saline conditions