Mitigation the adverse effects of salinity stress on germination of sunflower plant (helianthus annuus l.)‎ grown on sand culture by using potassium sulfate, sodium silicate or sal-wax®ca

Abstract EN

The present study was conducted to assess whether application of potassium sulfate, sodium metasilicate or Sal-Wax^®Ca can ameliorate the adverse effects of salinity stress on germination of sunflower plant variety Sakha 53 grown in sand culture.

The salinity levels were 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mM NaCl and mitigation treatments were control, 89.7 ppm potassium sulfate, 3 mM sodium metasilicate and 1.8 ppm Sal-Wax^®Ca.

Plants were grown in plastic pot containing 500 g pre-washed sand and irrigated three times weekly by 100 mL per pot of one-tenth modified Hoagland and Arnon nutrient solution containing the salt level and mitigation treatment.

After three weeks from sowing, the plants were collected.

The results referred that increasing salinity stress decreased the growth parameters at all mitigation treatments.

On the other hand, fresh and dry shoot/root ratio, whole plant and root moisture content, electrolyte leakage, and chlorophyll content index were increased with increasing salinity stress at all mitigation treatments.

Soil application of potassium sulfate with irrigation solution lead to improve the studied growth parameters of sunflower plants under salinity stress, compared to sodium silicate and Sal-Wax®Ca.