Different Types of Fertilizers Enhanced Salt Resistance of Oat and Associated Physiological Mechanisms in Saline Soils

Guanglong Zhu,Yunming Xu,Haitong Lu,Zhenran Xu,Zhongya Ji,Guisheng Zhou

doi:10.3390/agronomy12020317

Abstract

Soil salinization is more aggravating than ever before; suitable fertilizer application is essential for promoting crop growth and productivity in saline soils. A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of different types of fertilizers on oat (Avena sativa L.) growth and associated physiological mechanism in saline soils. Two oat varieties (V1 = Baiyan 2 and V2 = Baiyan 7) were used and four fertilizer treatments (T1 = control, T2 = nitrogen fertilizer, T3 = Giza Fertile fertilizer, T4 = Powder fertilizer) were evaluated in this study. The results showed that fertilizer treatments significantly improved plant growth and associated physiological traits, grain yield, forage yield, and forage quality of both oat varieties. Plant height, leaf area, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, proline, forage yield, panicles, spikelets per panicle, grain weight, and grain yield were significantly increased by fertilizer application, and the maximum values were all produced under T2 (nitrogen fertilizer). But the highest values of catalase, soluble sugar, and crude fat were observed under T4 (powder fertilizer). On the contrary, malondialdehyde and crude fiber were significantly decreased by fertilizer application, and the highest value was recorded under T2 and T4, respectively. V2 was superior in plant growth, grain yield, forage yield, and forage quality than V1. This study suggested that nitrogen fertilizer was superior in promoting growth, biomass yield and grain yield production, and Powder fertilizer was better in enhancing forage quality of oat in saline soils.

Highlights

Soil salinization is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting crop production in the world, especially in arid and semi-arid areas [1,2]
Plant height was significantly affected by fertilizer at all the growth stages, by variety at tillering stage (TS), jointing stage (JS), and filling stage (FS), and by the interaction between variety and fertilizer at heading stage (HS) (p < 0.05 or 0.01)
That was the possible reason as to why nitrogen fertilizer was superior in promoting effects on growth, biomass yield, and grain yield production, and Powder fertilizer was better at enhancing the forage quality of oat in saline land

Summary

Introduction

Soil salinization is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting crop production in the world, especially in arid and semi-arid areas [1,2]. The development and utilization of saline lands for agricultural production has become a national strategy to ensure food security in China [5]. Two major approaches are used to improve and utilize saline soils, including screening and breeding of salt-tolerant crop varieties and development of salt-tolerant promoting cultivation techniques [6,7]. It is considered medium salt tolerant (100 mM) and can be used as a pioneer crop having an important ecological value for improving saline-alkali lands [9]. The accumulation of proline, soluble sugar, and soluble protein in oat plants relieved salt damage and enhanced tolerance of oat under saline conditions [9]. Na+ accumulation in oat plants could be reduced by changing the distribution of Na+ or by using stomatal outflow Na+ to decrease Na+ /K+

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion