Abstract
Salinity stress is one of the serious restrictive issues for optimum crop production in arid to semi-arid areas. Application of organic amendments have shown positive effects on crop growth and yield under such scenario. The present study was conducted to estimate the potential of calcium-fortified composted animal manure (Ca-FCM) to enhance growth and yield of canola under saline soil conditions. Salt affected soils with various electrical conductivity (EC) levels (original 1.5, 5, and 10 dS m−1) were developed via spiking the soil with sodium chloride (NaCl) salt. The results reveal that soil salinity reduced the growth, physiological, yield, and nutritional parameters of canola. However, application of 3% calcium-fortified composted manure significantly enhanced the growth and yield parameters at all EC levels as compared to control. Plant physiological parameters such as photosynthetic rate, relative chlorophyll contents (SPAD value), and relative water content were also increased with the application of 3% Ca-FCM at all EC levels in comparison to control. Application of 3% Ca-FCM also mediated the antioxidant enzymes activities at all EC levels in comparison to control. Moreover, application of 3% Ca-FCM caused maximum increase in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium concentrations in shoot at all EC levels. Conversely, application of 3% Ca-FCM showed maximum decrease in Na+/K+ ratio in leaf up to 83.33%, 77.78%, and 71.43% at EC levels 1.5, 5, and 10 dS m−1, respectively, as compared to control. It was concluded that application of calcium-fortified composted animal manure (Ca-FCM) could be an efficient method for improving growth, yield, physiological, and nutritional parameters of canola through mediation of antioxidant defense machinery under saline soil conditions.
Highlights
Abiotic environmental stresses are notorious issues in agricultural production causing decline in crop yields around the globe [1,2]
Significant improvements in plant growth and yield attributes such as total biomass, shoot length, root dry weight, root length, straw weight, number of pods per plant, number of grains per pod, 1000-grains weight, and net grains weight were detected by the use of calcium-fortified composted animal manure (Ca-FCM) at three application levels, i.e., 1%, 2%, and 3%, under saline soil conditions relative to control
Applying 3% Ca-FCM significantly increased total biomass of the plant up to 117%, 132%, and 155% at electrical conductivity (EC) 1.5, 5, and 10 dS m−1, respectively, relative to control (Table 2)
Summary
Abiotic environmental stresses are notorious issues in agricultural production causing decline in crop yields around the globe [1,2]. Higher levels of Na+ salts alter physico-chemical properties of the soils such as decreased soil porosity, water movement, and soil aeration which negatively affect uptake of essential plant nutrients and access to water by plants [3,4]. Such salt-affected soils are generally distributed throughout the world, comprising 20% of the world’s cultivated land [5] and 50% of croplands are being exacerbated by varying degrees of salt accumulation [6]. Area of agricultural arable land decreases due to salt stress, which might seriously distress the relative extents of food supply and demand in the future
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