Biofertilizers as agent against the harmful effect of salinity on wheat

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of Biogen and Cyanobacteria as biofertilizers for substitution the normally used chemical fertilizer (Urea), and to ameliorate the harmful effect induced by salinity on two wheat cultivars Sakha 93 (salt tolerant) and Gemiza 10 (salt sensitive). The results showed that application of two salinity levels (100 and 200mM NaCl) caused reductions in the germination percentage and the other measured growth parameters (plant height, No of leaves, leaf area, No of internodes and fresh and dry weights) and in the rate of different measured metabolic processes (pigment content, photosynthetic activity, total soluble carbohydrates and protein content) and most yield parameters (plant height, no of spike/m2, spike length, no of grain/spike, grain weight/spike, 1000-grain weight, carbohydrates, protein content, wet, dry gluten and ash content, N, P and K content in seed). The results showed that application of both biofertilizers could reduce the recommended dose of urea by about 50%. On the other hand application of each biofertilizers significantly ameliorated the harmful effect induced by salinity on both wheat cultivars. However, the ameliorative effect was more significant in biogen than cyanobacterial fertilizers for both cultivars. The amelioration effect could be attributed to change in the antioxidant enzyme activity and appearance of some protein bands in response to the different biofertilizer treatment. Accordingly, we recommend the use of the two biofertilizers for partial substitution (50%) of the normally used chemical fertilizer (urea). Furthermore, we recommend the use of both biofertilizer for the salty land (100-200mM NaCl).