Increasing the okra salt threshold value with biochar amendments

Journal of plant interactions

article

Nazar A. Elshaikh¹  Liu Zhipeng²  She Dongli¹  Luis Carlos Timm³ 

[1] Key Laboratory of Efficient Irrigation-Drainage and Agricultural Soil-Water Environment in Southern China, College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower, Hohai University;College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University;Department of Rural Engineering, Faculty of Agronomy, Federal University of Pelotas

关键词: Irrigation water quality;    salt stress;    salt tolerance model;    soil salinity;    yield;   

DOI  :  10.1080/17429145.2017.1418914

学科分类：纳米科学和纳米技术

来源: Taylor & Francis

【 摘 要 】

Soil salinity is a severe worldwide environmental problem that adversely affects soil properties and the crop growth such as okra. We hypothesized that biochar soil amendments could increase the okra salt threshold, alleviate salt stress and improve soil productivity. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate whether biochar could ameliorate the effects of salinity on okra plants. Three biochar amendment (BA) soil applications (0%, 5% and 10% by mass of soil) were considered for seven irrigation water salinity levels (0.75, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 dS m−1 ) in a randomized block design with three replications. The Maas and Hoffman salt tolerance model was used to evaluate the effects of BA on okra plant growth parameters (e.g. yield, biomass) and water use efficiency for each salinity treatment. The results showed that increasing the soil salinity levels caused significant decreases in plant yields and yield components. However, biochar application rates of 5% and 10% increased the okra threshold by 19.7% and 81.2%, respectively, compared to the control (0%). The 10% biochar application rate also resulted in the greatest okra plant growth and increased yield, indicating that the effects of salt stress were ameliorated; moreover, the soil bulk density was decreased, and the water content was increased. Hence, biochar soil amendments could be considered as an important agronomic practice that could potentially overcome the adverse effects of salt stress.

【 授权许可】

CC BY|CC BY-NC