Effect of irrigation with saline water on growth and chemical composition of celery

Abstract

Celery crop belongs to the family Umbelliferae. The present study aims to understand the physical and chemical changes in celery plants that affected by using saline water in irrigation. A pot experiment was conducted during the two winter seasons of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 to study the effect of irrigation with agriculture saline drainage water brought from Karoun Lake in El-Fayoum Governorate, Egypt on the growth and chemical contents of celery plants cv. Balady. The used saline water concentrations were 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 ppm and tap water at 260 ppm was used as control. The results showed that the plant length, fresh weight and number of leaves were increased significantly at a concentration of 1000 ppm as compared with control. Meanwhile, gradual decrease occurred in these characters with increasing salinity levels. The contents of ascorbic acid, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and dry weight were significantly increased up to the level of 2000 ppm then gradual decrease was occurred with increasing salinity levels. As for the contents of total soluble solids (TSS.), sodium and proline significantly increased with each increase in the saline level. In conclusion, celery cv. Balady can be irrigated with the limit of 1000 ppm saline water.