Alleviating the adverse effect of salinity on Maize by the ameliorative effect ‎of salicylic acid

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Plant Production Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and ‎Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El-Arab, Alexandria 21934, Egypt

2 ‎Soil Salinity and Alkalinity Laboratory, Soil, Water, and Environment Research Institute, ‎ Agricultural Research center, Giza, Egypt

3 field Crops Res. Dept., National Research Centre, 33 El Bohouth st., Dokki, Giza, ‎ Egypt P.O.12622‎

4 ‎field Crops Res. Dept., National Research Centre, 33 El Bohouth st., Dokki, Giza, ‎ Egypt P.O.12622‎

Abstract

Two experiments in cemented plots were carried out during 2012 and 2013 summer seasons at ‎Soil Salinity and Alkalinity Laboratory, Alexandria, Egypt, to study the effect of three levels of ‎irrigation water salinity (0.5, 2.75, 5.5 dS/m) and foliar application of salicylic acid (0, 100, 200 ‎ppm) on growth, grain yield, and yield components of Maize. Split plot with four replicates was ‎the experimental design. The results revealed that at mid-season, irrigation with saline water ‎significantly decreased plant height (cm), plant fresh weight (g), and plant dry weight (g). ‎However, number of leaves/plant, leaves area/plant (m2), and leaf area index were not ‎significantly affected. Also, at mid-season foliar spraying with salicylic acid significantly ‎increased plant fresh weight (g), and plant dry weight (g). However, plant height (cm), number of ‎leaves/plant, leaves area/plant (m2), and leaf area index were not significantly affected. At end-‎season irrigation with saline water significantly decreased ear height (cm), ear weight (g), number ‎of grains/row, 100 kernel weight (g), grain yield (g/plot), biological yield (g/plot), straw yield ‎‎(g/plot), and harvest index while number of rows/ear was not significantly affected. Also, at end-‎season foliar application of salicylic acid significantly increased all the studied parameters except ‎for ear height (cm), number of rows/ear, and harvest index. The interaction between salinity and ‎salicylic acid was not significant for all the studied parameters except for grain yield meaning ‎that every factor is acting independently from each other. In conclusion, salicylic acid could be ‎used as an antioxidants or potential growth regulator to improve corn growth and grain yield ‎under salinity conditions.‎

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