Response of Two Garlic Cultivars to Foliar Nutrition under Irrigation with Saline Water

Abstract

TWO pot experiments were conducted during the two winter …….seasons of 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 at the soil salinity lab. Alexandria, Agricultural Research Center, to study the effect of irrigation with saline water and foliar nutrition on the vegetative growth, chemical content and green yield of two garlic cultivars. Treatments were the combination of two cultivars; sids 40 and Baladi, two treatments foliar and three saline irrigation water treatments, i.e., 1500, 2500 and 3500 mg/L and well water (control). The results indicated that cv. sids 40 recorded the highest values of plant height in the two seasons. No. of leaves / plant had non-significant differences between the two cultivars in the two seasons. On the other hand, the results also indicated that cv. Baladi recorded the highest values of fresh weight of (bulbs and cloves) and No. of cloves/bulb compared with another cultivar (sids 40) in the two seasons. The highest values of N and P uptake were recorded by cv. Baladi followed by cv. sids 40. Thus, cv. Baladi was the most salt tolerant compared with cv. sids 40. Increasing salinity of irrigation water decreased vegetative growth and green yield up to the highest concentration (3500 mg/L). N and P uptake were gradually and significantly decreased by increasing irrigation water salinity up to its highest level. Vegetative growth, chemical content and green yield, significantly improved with nutrient applied through the foliar spray. The combined effect among cultivars, foliar nutrition and salinity concentrations of irrigation water had a significant and highly significant effect on the fresh weight of cloves and No. of cloves/ bulbs. These results were true and similar in the two seasons of the experiment.The interaction had a highly significant effect on protein% content and N, P and K uptake by cloves of garlic plants.