Improving the physiological indices and biological yield of different Atriplex species with organic fertilizers in different irrigation regimes

Abstract

Because of water crises, the cultivation of forage plants is greatly important in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. In order to study the effect of different organic fertilizers and irrigation regimes on the growth and biochemical responses of different Atriplex species, this experiment was performed as a factorial split with three replications in the city of Bandar Abbas in 2017-2018. The main factor included three irrigation regimes (irrigation at 80, 60, and 40% of field capacity) and the sub-factor were different sources of fertilizer (poultry manure and sheep manure about 5 tons per hectare, and chemical fertilizer) and different species of Atriplex (A. canascens, A. leucoclada, and A. lelentiformis). Based on the results, increasing drought stress increased sodium (Na) and proline of the leaf and decreased the concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and soluble carbohydrates. In irrigation of 40% of field capacity, the highest amount of leaf nitrogen was observed in sheep manure (1.47%), representing a significant increase compared to the chemical fertilizer. In irrigation of 80% of field capacity, the highest amount of leaf phosphorus (0.222%) was observed in chemical fertilizer. The highest levels of catalase and peroxides were obtained in poultry and sheep manure. Also, in the irrigation of 40% of field capacity, poultry manure and then sheep manure could show higher levels of soluble protein in the leaf, respectively. In general, this study showed the successful effects of organic fertilizers on increasing nutrient uptake and physiological traits and improving the biological yield of Atriplex.