Humic Acid Improves the Resilience to Salinity Stress of Drip-Irrigated Mexican Lime Trees in Saline Clay Soils

Abstract

Organic fertilization improves soil fertility and ameliorates the deleterious effects of accumulated salts in soil for sustainable agricultural production. This research was carried out on thirteen-year-old Mexican lime trees to study the effect of humic acid (HA), applied as soil (10, 20 or 30 mL·tree−1) and foliar (0.1 or 0.2%) applications, on soil fertility, tree growth, productivity and fruit quality. The experiment was conducted during the 2020 and 2021 seasons in a randomized complete block design of twelve treatments with three replicates with two trees each. Soil and foliar applications of HA were performed once and twice a month in Marsh, May and July, respectively. HA enhanced the soil’s N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and B availability and microbial activity, in addition to improved tree growth, canopy size, leaf chlorophyll and nutrient contents with reduced proline levels. The total yield and number of fruit per tree were increased with increased HA levels. Fruit weight, juice and soluble solids were also increased. The best results were achieved with the combined soil (30 mL·tree−1) and foliar (0.2%) applications of HA, which indicated a great potential to alleviate the effects of salinity stress on Mexican lime growth and productivity.