Can potassium fertilization, soil amendments and land leveling ameliorate rice production under salt affected soils conditions?

The significance of nutrient and water and its sustainability was and still one of the most emerging issues in agriculture. Therefore, it should be considered the maintenance, improvement and efficiently utilization of nutrient and water resources. In present work, the effect of land leveling, soil amendments including gypsum and/or compost application and K- fertilizer on rice production under salt affected soils conditions have been studied. The results showed that the highest yield of grain and straw of rice was obtained with using K-fertilization, land levelling rate 0.05 % of surface slope in the presence of gypsum plus compost application. Furthermore, this study suggests that, the efficiency of irrigation application increased from about 60 (for control) to 65 and 78 % for land leveling with 0.0 and 0.05 % slope, respectively. That means, the water loss rate from irrigation were 43, 36 and 32 %, respectively using the previous land leveling treatments. Thus, about 17 % from the applied water for irrigation could be saved under 0.05 % slope. On the other hand, the highest decrease rate in soil salinity (EC, dS m-1) and alkalinity (sodium absorption ratio, SAR) was 26 and 20 %, respectively for the traditional land leveling or the farmers’ practices. Therefore, sustainable rice crop production should be managed to overcome the soil salinity and alkalinity under low land rice cultivation, improving soil quality and its fertility

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT NITROGEN AND POTASSIUM LEVELS AND FOLIAR APPLICATION OF BORON ON WHEAT YIELD

From the present study, it could be concluded that the highest concentration of nitrogen in wheat grains was obtained at 90 kg N fed-1 in the presence of potassium and spraying with boron. Increasing nitrogen levels increased the amount of nitrogen uptake by grains of wheat. Also the crude protein (%) in grains increased gradually with increasing nitrogen level in the presence of potassium and spraying with boron. The highest concentration of K in grains of wheat was obtained at the high levels of nitrogen in the presence of potassium and spraying with boron. Also the highest amounts of K uptake by the grains of wheat were recorded by the high levels of nitrogen in the presence of potassium and spraying of boron

Paclobutrazol Improves the Quality of Tomato Seedlings to Be Resistant to <i>Alternaria solani</i> Blight Disease: Biochemical and Histological Perspectives

The production and quality of tomato seedlings needs many growth factors and production requirements besides controlling the phytopathogens. Paclobutrazol (PBZ) has benefit applications in improving crop productivity under biotic stress (Alternaria solani, the causal agent of early blight disease in tomatoes). In the current study, the foliar application of PBZ, at rates of 25, 50, and 100 mg L−1, was evaluated against early blight disease in tomatoes under greenhouse conditions. The roles of PBZ to extend tomato seedling lives and handling in nurseries were also investigated by measuring different the biochemical (leaf enzymes, including catalase and peroxidase) and histological attributes of tomato seedlings. Disease assessment confirmed that PBZ enhanced the quality of tomato seedlings and induced resistance to early blight disease post inoculation, at 7, 14, and 21 days. Higher values in chlorophyll content, enzyme activities, and anatomical features of stem (cuticle thickness) and stomata (numbers and thickness) were recorded, due to applied PBZ. This may support the delay of the transplanting of tomato seedlings without damage. The reason for this extending tomato seedling life may be due to the role of PBZ treatment in producing seedlings to be greener, more compact, and have a better root system. The most obvious finding to emerge from this study is that PBZ has a distinguished impact in ameliorating biotic stress, especially of the early blight disease under greenhouse conditions. Further studies, which consider molecular variables, will be conducted to explore the role of PBZ in more detail