Rationalization of the Water Requirement of the Cabbage Crop by Using Zeolite and Silica Gel and Their Effect on some Water Parameters of the Leaves of the Cabbage Crop

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the research station of the Department of Soil Sciences and Water Resources, which is 66 km east of the city of Baghdad during the fall agricultural season for the year 2021. It is located at latitude 10.679" 33° 41′ north, longitude 36.569" 35′ 43° east and at an altitude of 43 m above. Sea level The study aimed at the effect of zeolite and silica gel in rationing the water requirement of the cabbage and some of the physical soil characteristics and the growth and yield of the cabbage plant. The experiment was designed according to the distribution of split-split boards in a completely randomized block system (R C B D) with three replications. The experiment included three factors, the first Which occupied the main panels is zeolite ((Z) with three levels (without adding zeolite Z0, adding 25 g to each plant Z1, adding 50 g to each plant Z2), and the second factor is silica gel (S) and with three levels (without adding silica S0, adding 10 g to each plant S1, adding 20 gm plant S2), and the third factor is the water requirement of the plant in two levels (adding the full amount of 100% of the water requirement for the plant W1, adding 50% of the water requirement for the cabbage plant W2). The dimensions of the experimental unit are 1.5 × 4 m, with an area of (6 m2) for one experimental unit. The most important results obtained can be summarized as follows: The highest value of relative water content % and the ability to bind water % and the ability to absorb water in treatment W1Z2S2 reached 87.96%, 10.733%, 6.123%, respectively. The lowest value of relative saturation deficit in treatment W1Z2S2 was 12.03%.. The interaction treatment between water requirement, zeolite and silica gel recorded a significant effect when treating W2Z2S2 in the ability to absorb water, as it recorded the highest value of 79.29% compared to the treatment W1Z0S0, which had the lowest value of 23.39%.