Document Type : Original research article
Authors
1
Assistant Professor, Horticulture Crops Research Department, Isfahan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Isfahan, Iran
2
PhD Student of Agroecology, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
Abstract
Salinity is one of the most important abiotic stresses because it causes zinc to precipitate in an unusable form for plants and is influenced by saline-calcareous soils. This experiment was carried out in a strip split block design with three replications at the Esfahan Rodasht Drainage and Salinity Research Station to investigate the effects of agrophysiological responses of barley genotypes to zinc fertilization and water saline irrigation. As vertical factors, water irrigation quality at three levels, 2, 10, and 18, dS/m, were used. Fertilizer application included Nano zinc-oxide, zinc-chelate, a mixture of Nano zinc-oxide and zinc-chelate, and water as a control. Within vertical factors, three different barley genotypes are arranged, including Morocco (moderate semi-sensitive), Nosrat (moderate tolerant), and Khatam (tolerant). The results showed that the application of Zn-chelate fertilizer resulted in the highest grain yield, K+ concentration, and K+/Na+ ratio in shoots. In Khatam, stomatal conductance (gs), the maximum quantum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), K+ and Zn2+ concentrations, and the K+/Na+ ratio were all higher than in Morocco. In comparison to Morocco, Khatam had lower Na+ and Ca2++Na+ contents. Furthermore, as salinity stress increased, all barley genotypes showed a decreasing trend in K+ content and the K+/Na+ ratio in shoots.
Highlights
Salinity causes zinc to precipitate in an unusable form for plants and is influenced by saline-calcareous soils.
Three barley genotypes (Morocco (moderate semi-sensitive), Nosrat (moderate tolerant), and Khatam (tolerant) are arranged.
The K+ and Zn2+ concentrations, as well as the K+/Na+ ratio, were all higher in Khatam than in Morocco.
All barley genotypes showed a decreasing trend in K+ content and K+/Na ratio in shoots as salinity stress increased.
Keywords