Role of Nano-Silica in Amelioration Salt Stress Effect on some Soil Properties, Anatomical Structure and Productivity of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) and Maize (Zea mays L.) Plants

Abstract

Different levels of foliar applications from nano-silica (i.e., 0, 100, 200, and 300 mg L-1), and different salinity combination of irrigation water (0.51, 2.45, 1.85 and 1.36 dS m-1) on some soil properties and anatomical structure and productivity of Faba vulgarisL. (Vicia faba L.) cv. Sakha 3 and Maize (Zea mays single hybrid crops cv. Giza 10) plants were investigated in lysimeter experiments at Sakha Agricultural Research Station Farm during summer 2017 and winter 2017/2018 seasons, respectively. Results of soil properties indicated that there are no variations among soil salinity and different foliar application treatments with nano-silica. While, there is a remarkable variation in mean of soil salinity among irrigation with fresh water and blended with well water treatments, which arranged T4 (1.36 dS m-1), followed by T3 (1.85 dS m-1), compared with T2 (2.45 dS m-1), at 0-20 cm depth for studied plants. A similar trend was also exhibited in the other soil depths. But, exchangeable sodium percentage of the different soil depth unaffected under the same plant. Maize and Faba bean roots and leaves anatomical structure were cleared that at 300 mg L-1 N-Si, roots diameter changed up to (22.75, 15.54 and 3.93, 5.97 %) of Maize and Faba bean respectively, diameter of vascular cylinder (7.95, 6.33 and 1.84, 2.96 %), and thickness of cortex (22.77, 6.02 and 2.90, 1.69 %) with T1 and T4 treatments compared to the control, respectively. The highest values of big vessel diameter arch-1 were recorded for roots of Faba bean (95.14 and 55.50 %), with T1 and T4 treatments compared to control. Also, anatomical structure of maize leaves attained 13.80 and 10.43 % for lamina thickness, 16.52 and 4.65 % for midrib length and 7.82 and 31.92 %, for number of vesicular bundle midrib-1 at 300 mg L-1 N-Si with T1 and T4 treatments more than the control. Also, under the same conditions, mesophyll thickness and midrib length of faba bean leaves recorded 20.07, 51.41 %, and 35.65, 103.89 %, respectively moreover these results will be positively reflected upon chlorophyll content.For productivity, results showed that T4 treatment attained the highest values 4.22, 5.32 t/ fed. and 1.74, 1.84 t/fed.in grain and straw yield of Maize and Faba bean plants, under foliar application with 300 mg L-1 of nano-silica compared with other concentrations, respectively. From these results, recommended that foliar application with 300 mg L-1 of nano-silica is the better concentration to mitigation of salt stress effect as well as improvement soil properties, anatomical structure and productivity of Maize and Faba bean plants.