Nitrogen Reducing the Inhibitory Action of Saline Water on Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Development

Abstract

AbstractThe water and soil salinization, economic and vital importance of water, and nutritional value of nitrogen fertilization make it expedient to establish this work which investigated the interaction between nitrogen fertilization and saline water irrigation. The experiment was undertaken in an arid region to compare the performance of four contrasting barley genotypes and select the most efficient one that can be irrigated by brackish water. Barley genotypes were irrigated with two water salinity levels (1.8 and 9.2 dS/m), and four N fertilizer levels were applied (0, 50, 100,150 KgN/ha). Results highlighted the corrective effect of nitrogen on saline water. Data showed a significant reduction (P < 0.05)—caused by saline water—in the number of fertile tillers (38%) and leaves (10%), chlorophyll content (10%), and biomass production (12%); leading to a decrease in grain yield by 6.3 Qx/ha. These reductions were observed in all genotypes with variable rates. On the other hand, nitrogen application showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the number of fertile tillers (28%) and leaves (5%), chlorophyll content (8,3%), and biomass production (NDVI value) by 40%. Data showed that the improvements caused by N addition were more evident under salt stress. Our results showed that the inhibitory action of saline water has been significantly reduced by nitrogen fertilization. This makes it possible to predict the corrective effect of nitrogen on the vegetative development and grain yield under saline conditions with an adjusted nitrogen level.KeywordsSaline waterNitrogenBarleyCorrective effect