Response of Moringa oleifera trees to salinity stress conditions in Tabuk region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Moringa oleifera is an amazing tree with various applications. Salinity is a world major barrier to crop productivity. This study was conducted to investigate salinity and seaweed extract’s effect on Moringa oleifera’s growth and yields. Measurements were made of growth characteristics, fresh and dried leaf, inflorescence, mature pod and seed weight, and yield per tree, as well as chemical parameters. Seasons had no substantial effect on any of these traits. In terms of seaweed concentrations, the treatment containing 20% seaweed outperformed the treatment containing 0% seaweed in all measurements. Concerning the salinity levels, the maximum level of all studied attributes was at 18.75 mmol/L NaCl, while the level of 70.31 mmol/L NaCl has the lowest values. The interaction between salinity levels and seaweed revealed that T4 (18.75 mmol/L NaCl plus 20 % seaweed) was the highest for all traits and T9 (70.31 mmol/L NaCl plus 0 % seaweed) was the lowest for all traits except for the potassium content. Concerning potassium content, T7 (54.69 mmol/L NaCl plus 0 % seaweed) was the lowest. These findings could help to develop efficient breeding methods for Moringa oleifera in the future.