Water Salinity Levels Research Articles

Maize crop yield in function of salinity and mulch

ABSTRACT Irrigation with saline water affects the agronomic performance of the maize crop; however, the use of vegetal mulch may mitigate salt stress and promote an increase in yield. In this way, this study aimed to evaluate the grain yield of the maize plants submitted to different water salinity levels in the presence and absence of mulch. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial scheme. The first factor was the salinity of the irrigation water (1.0 and 4.0 dS m-1) and the second, with and without mulch, and five replicates. The variables analyzed were: unhusked ear mass, husked ear mass, cob mass, straw mass, husked ear diameter, husked ear length, and yield. The irrigation water with higher electrical conductivity affects negatively the ear mass with and without straw, ear diameter and ear length. The use of vegetation cover on the soil increased the unhusked ear mass with and without straw, ear diameter and length. The water with higher salinity (4.0 dS m-1) reduces the maize grain yield but with less intensity in the presence of mulch.

Non-destructive estimation of chlorophyll content of peanuts grown at different soil texture and salinity levels

Chlorophyll is a significant biochemical component and can be determined in the laboratory (destructive) and using various chlorophyll content measuring devices (non-destructive). In this study, destructive and non-destructive methods were used to determine chlorophyll content and compared in peanut (Arachis hypogaea cv. NC-7) grown under different soil texture and saline water applications. The experiment was carried out in a complete randomized block design in pots using two soil textures (clay-loam and sandy) and three irrigation water salinity (0.7, 2.1 and 3.3 dS m-1). While the chlorophyll contents (Chl-a , Chl-b, Chl-a+b, Chl-a/b) were determined with the acetone extraction procedure, which is classified as destructive methods under laboratory conditions, the Chlorophyll Content Index (CCI) values were measured with the hand-held chlorophyll meter device (Apogee CCM-200), which is a non-destructive method. While irrigation water salinity decreased all types of chlorophyll contents (Chl-a, Chl-b, Chl-a+b) (mg cm-2), it did not cause a statistical difference in Chl-a/b. Linear and polynomial models were fitted between the different chlorophyll contents and the CCI values under different soil textures and saline water levels. Model performances were slightly better with the polynomial model compared to the linear model in all experimental treatments. Since the difference between model performances is small, it is recommended to use the linear model due to its ease of use. In addition, the total chlorophyll content can be safely estimated under saline conditions by using portable chlorophyll meters.

Phosphorus Fertilization Enhances Productivity of Forage Corn (Zea mays L.) Irrigated with Saline Water.

Salinity is a major problem affecting crop production in many regions in the world including Morocco. Agricultural practices such as fertilization could be useful to overcome this problem and improve crop productivity. The objective of our study was to evaluate the combined effect of phosphorus fertilization and irrigation water salinity on growth, yield, and stomatal conductance of forage corn (Zea mays L.) cv. “Sy sincerro”. Field experiments were carried out for two years testing four levels of irrigation water salinity (ECw = 0.7; 2, 4, and 6 dS·m−1) and three rates of phosphorus (105, 126, and 150 kg P2O5·ha−1) fertilization conducted in a split-plot design with three replications. The obtained results show that irrigation water salinity had a negative effect on all monitored parameters. For instance, the dry matter yield reduced by an average of 19.3 and 25.1% compared to the control under saline irrigation with an EC value equal to 4 and 6 dS·m−1, respectively. The finding also showed that phosphorus applications tend to increase root weight, root length, stem length, leaf stomatal conductance, grain yield and dry matter yield under salinity conditions. For example, the addition of phosphorus with a rate of 126 and 150 kg P2O5·ha−1 respectively improved dry matter yield by an average of 4 and 9% under low salinity level (ECw = 2 dS·m−1), by 4 and 15% under medium salinity (4 dS·m−1), and by 6 and 8% under a high salinity level (6 dS·m−1). Our finding suggests that supplementary P application could be one of the best practices to reduce the adverse effects of high salinity on growth and development of forage corn.

Mathematical Modeling of the Phytoplankton Populations Geographic Dynamics for Possible Scenarios of Changes in the Azov Sea Hydrological Regime

Increased influence of abiotic and anthropogenic factors on the ecological state of coastal systems leads to uncontrollable changes in the overall ecosystem. This paper considers the crucial problem of studying the effect of an increase in the water’s salinity in the Azov Sea and the Taganrog Bay on hydrobiological processes. The main aim of the research is the diagnostic and predictive modeling of the geographic dynamics of the general phytoplankton populations. A mathematical model that describes the dynamics of three types of phytoplankton is proposed, considering the influence of salinity and nutrients on algae development. Discretization is carried out based on a linear combination of Upwind Leapfrog difference schemes and a central difference scheme, which makes it possible to increase the accuracy of solving the biological kinetics problem at large values of the grid Péclet number (Peh > 2). A software package has been developed that implements interrelated models of hydrodynamics and biogeochemical cycles. A modified alternating-triangular method was used to solve large-dimensional systems of linear algebraic equations (SLAE). Based on the scenario approach, several numerical experiments were carried out to simulate the dynamics of the main species of phytoplankton populations at different levels of water salinity in coastal systems. It is shown that with an increase in the salinity of waters, the habitats of phytoplankton populations shift, and marine species invasively replace freshwater species of algae.

Evaluation of saline water irrigation on cotton growth and yield using the AquaCrop crop simulation model

It is imperative to evaluate the practicality of brackish water irrigation for alleviating the conflict between freshwater resources shortages and food production. Four years experiments were carried out on cotton from 2012 to 2015 seasons with four salinity levels in irrigation water, including 1.3 dS m-1 (CK), 5.4 dS m-1 (S1), 8.8 dS m-1 (S2), and 12.4 dS m-1 (S3) in lowland plain of Hebei in the North China Plain (NCP). Parameters of the FAO AquaCrop model were calibrated with a dataset collected in the 2012 season, and the model was validated with independent data from the next three seasons. Under the condition of saline water irrigation, the simulation of canopy cover, soil water content, soil electric conductivity, biomass, and yield was accurate (the coefficient of determination (R2) > 0.65, the index of agreement (d) > 0.89). The scenario simulations with different salinity levels in irrigation water were run in growing degree days mode in AquaCrop with climatic data from 1958 to 2010. In the high (483 mm) and normal (430 mm) rainfall years, salt was drained out of the soil profile. Whereas, salt was accumulated in the soil profile under the scenario of S2 and S3, while was leaving out the root zone in the scenario of CK and S1 in the low (324 mm) rainfall years. With the salinity of 4.5 dS m-1, the difference between salt inside and outside of the soil profile tends to be zero. Based on the scenario simulations, the relationships between crop evapotranspiration (ETa) and cotton yield and between ETa and water productivity were fitted with a quadratic curve. It is concluded from the scenario simulations that there are real risks in soil salinization for cotton production in the lowland plain of Hebei in the NCP due to saline water irrigation.

Productivity of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa L.) Genotypes Across Different Agro-Ecological Regions of Oman

Background: Quinoa has the great potentiality of its expansion in world agriculture owing to its resilient traits of productivity under marginal conditions across varying altitudes, soil and climatic conditions with extreme levels of abiotic factors like moisture stress, high temperature and salinity as influenced by climatic change. It offers a crop of food security in several countries that have begun the trials of evaluation since the early 1980s leading to the rapid expansion of its cultivation in other countries after the United Nation’s declaration for 2013 as “Year of Quinoa” to promote its production as a grain crop. In this view, five quinoa genotypes were evaluated for their yield, agronomic performance and adaptability at three locations across different agro-ecological regions of Oman. Methods: Five quinoa genotypes Amarilla Marangani, Amarilla Sacaca, Blanca de junin, Kancolla and Salcedo INIA, received from the Oman FAO office in 2016, were evaluated for three consecutive years from 2016/2017 to 2018/2019 during the winter season (October to March) at national agriculture research stations located at Rumais in South Batinah governorate, AlKamil in South Sharqia governorate and Sohar in North Batinah governorate. The experiments were conducted on the sites containing sandy loam soil under Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) involving these five genotypes with four replications under a drip-irrigation system with varying levels of irrigation water salinity. The irrigation and fertilizers were applied as per national recommendations. The characters viz. chlorophyll content, plant height (cm), number of branches, inflorescence length (cm), days to maturity and grain yield (ton/ha) were recorded at appropriate times of growth of crops at all locations. Grain samples were subjected to proximate analysis. The data on yield and yield contributing characters were subjected to multi-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) using GenStat Statistical Package v12. Results: The results indicated that among the effects of main factors viz. genotypes, locations and years, all the effects were highly significant (p<0.01) in respect of plant height and grain yield, whereas for a number of branches, all the main effects except genotypes were highly significant (p<0.01). In respect of chlorophyll content (SPAD value), effects of genotype and years were found significant (p<0.05) and whereas for inflorescence length, effects of locations and years were highly significant (p<0.05). Genotype Amarllia Sacaca had the highest plant height (135 cm), followed by genotype Salcedo INIA (117 cm) during the winter season of 2016/2017. The highest grain yield of 5.40 t ha-1) obtained was harvested at Agriculture Research Station, Rumais where Amarllia Sacaca produced the highest (8.86 t ha-1). The protein content was highest (17.49%) in the genotype Amarllia Maranagani. Irrespective of genotypes, locations and years, the quinoa crop had acceptable performance in terms of 107.47 cm plant height, 18 number of branches, 44.47 SPDA value (chlorophyll) and 31.96 cm inflorescence length with an average yield of 3.83 t ha-1. Conclusion: Quinoa has been found to be highly adaptable to Northern agro-ecological regions (South and North Batinah Governorates) of Oman, and genotypes evaluated can be successfully introduced for general cultivation in Northern Oman.

Use of biochar for alleviating negative impact of salinity stress in corn grown in arid soil

Tremendous benefits of biochar (BC) amendment to soil have been reported, including their role in alleviating the impact of salinity stress in plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of BC produced at 300 °C (BC300) and 700 °C (BC700) on the germination rate (GR) and selected growth characteristics of corn plants irrigated with salinized water over a growth period of 6 weeks. The experimental treatments included three biochar treatments: BC0 (control, without biochar addition), BC300, and BC700. The treatments also included three salinity levels of irrigation water: 0, 3, and 6 dS·m−1. The biochar was applied at a rate of 3%. The GR decreased with increasing salinity level, which was more evident in the first week. This stress impact was reduced when treated with the BC700 relative to the saline treatments without BC. Both BC treatments demonstrated contrasting effects on corn growth, nutrient uptake, and Na+ and K+ content in plant tissue. The effect of BC700 treatment on plant height and root length was limited, but the impact of salinity stress on chlorophyll meter readings, chlorophyll fluorescence parameter (Fv/Fm), dry matter yield, and N and P uptake were largely mitigated. It also increased K+ and decreased Na+ content in plant tissue. However, the BC300 treatment adversely affected plant growth parameters at each salinity level. Overall, the BC produced at a higher temperature significantly alleviated the impact of salinity stress on plant growth characteristics, which is probably attributed to their higher surface area and porosity, enhancing their salt ion sorption capacity.

Growth promoters in banana seedlings submitted to saline irrigation

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of inoculation of a plant growth promoter bacteria on the growth of micropropagated banana seedlings cultivar Williams under irrigation with water at different saline levels. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse at Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical, Fortaleza, State of Ceará. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, in a 3 x 4 factorial scheme, corresponding to the three factors for growth promotion (negative control: water; Osmocote® slow-release fertilizer and a Bacillus spp. bacterium) subjected to four levels of irrigation water salinity (S1 = 0.5; S2 = 1.5; S3 = 3.0 and S4 = 4.5 dS m-1), and five blocks, totaling 60 experimental units. Sixty days after transplanting (DAT) and application of treatments, the following variables related to plant growth were measured: number of leaves (NL), pseudostem diameter (PD), plant height (PH), leaf area (LA), and root length (RL). The rise in saline levels in the irrigation water negatively influenced the variables number of leaves, pseudostem diameter, root length, and leaf area, showing a decreasing linear behavior. The variables number of leaves and leaf area of seedlings inoculated in association with Bacillus spp. did not differ from each other, regardless of the saline level. This indicated a likely increase in the response to the salinity tolerance of the seedlings. Treatment with Osmocote® fertilizer differed statistically for variables plant height, pseudostem diameter, and leaf area.

Effect of Levels Water Salinity and Inoculation With Azospirillum and Bacillus on Some Growth and Yield Characters of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

A field experiment has been conducted at the College of Agriculture - University of Al-Muthanna (Al Bandar station 2 km from the center of Al-Muthanna Governorate), during seasons 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, to study the effect of four salinity levels of irrigation water (S1, S2, S3, S4) and four treatments. of Bio Fertilization (A, B, AB, C), and knowing its effect on some characteristics of growth and yield of wheat, result showed that levels of water salinity was significant effect on growth characters, the level S1 was superior in high plant, No. tellers, leaf flag area was reached 76.03 and 82.08 cm, 358.5 and 357.2 tellers m2, 40.08 cm2 for both season on sequences. The treat of salinity S3 was superior in seed of spikes and total yields and give high means 32 and 34.42 seed spike−1, 3.850 and 4.13 ton h−1 in both season. The inoculation treatment was high significant in growth characters and the treat A was superior in plant high reached 77.78 and 77.76 cm, in tellers treat A was superior in No. tellers reached 352.4 tellers m2, the treatment AB was superior in flag leaf area and reached 40.17 cm2. The result showed superior treat AB in seeds spikes−1 reached 32.58 and 34.67 seeds spike−1 for both season, in 1000 seed weight was treat B was superior and give 33.83 and 35.08 gm in both season, the treat AB was superior in total yield its reached 3.52 and 3.82 ton h−1.

Effect of Spraying with Nano Silica and Water Salinity Levels on Growth and Yield of Wheat

A field experiment was carried out during the winter season 2020-2021 at research station of the College of Agriculture, University of Al-Muthanna (Al - Bandar) to study the effect of spraying with nano silica and salinity levels of irrigation water on the growth and yield of wheat. The experiment was applied in a strip split plot design. With three replications, the spraying included three concentrations of silica (3, 6, 9 ppm) and three concentrations of irrigation water salinity (3, 6, 9 ds m−1). The results indicated that the level of 9 ppm sprayed exceeded significantly in the following traits and gave the highest means.: plant height 84.26 cm, number of tillers 354.10 m2 tillers, area of flag leaf 40.19 cm2, spike length 9.89 cm, number of spikes 288.93 m2 and yield 4.27 tons ha−1. The results also indicated that the increase in salinity level led to a decrease in the characteristics of plant height 82.22 cm, number of tillers 319.43 m2 tillers, area of flag leaf 39.93 cm2, spike length 9.19 cm, number of spikes 260.13 m2, and yield, which amounted to 3.86 tons ha−1.

Study of The Effect of Salt Stress and Kinetin and Their Interaction on The Growth and Yield of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.)

A field experiment was conducted at the first station of the College of Agriculture/University of Al-Muthanna for the agricultural season 2020-2021, with the aim of studying the effect of treatment with salinity stress and kinetin on the growth and yield of the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar of Bohooth 22. The experiment was applied by split plates design using a randomized complete block design (R.C.B.D) with three Replicators of 36 experimental units The main units included levels of irrigation water salinity (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10) ds/m, while the secondary units included levels of kinetin (0, 30, 60 Ppm). The results of the statistical analysis showed a significant difference in the salinity of the high irrigation water in most growth traits such as plant height, flag leaf area, number of tillers plant−1, spike length (cm) and number of days to physiological maturity (day) at a rate of (.5473, 14.912, 3.222, 9.176, 143.67) respectively, and the traits of the yield and its components represented by the number of spikes. m2, number of grains per spike, weight of 1000 grains (gm), grain yield (ton ha−1) and biological yield (ton ha−1) at a rate of (300.06, 35.39, 31.60, 3.52, 9.46) respectively, while soaking the seeds with kinetin led to a significant increase in most of the studied traits. Thus, we conclude that salt stress has a negative role on the growth stages of the vegetative plant, and this leads to the reduction of the yield and its components.

Avaliação de mudas de maracujazeiro com diferentes tipos de substratos e concentrações salinas

The yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Degener) crops have been gaining notoriety in Brazil, whose cultivation extends to almost all regions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth of yellow passion fruit seedlings in response to the interaction between substrate composition and irrigation water salinity levels. The experimental trial was installed in a randomized block design, with a factorial scheme (3x6) consisting of two factors: three levels of salinity and six types of substrates, distributed in four replications, each plot consisting of a polyethylene bag composed of two plants. The factor levels of salinity, electrical conductivity: 0.3, 1.2 and 2.1 dSm-1 did not influence the physiological growth and development of the seedlings, the substrates resulted in statistically significant effects, the cattle manure presented the highest percentage in levels of physiological growth and development of the plant.

Effect of salinity on oleic sunflower (Helianthus annuus Linn.) under drip irrigation in arid area of Northwest China

To achieve secure and efficient saline water irrigation in arid areas, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the salt distribution in the soil profile and response of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) to salinity from 2018 to 2020. The experiment included five levels of irrigation water salinity (ECi = 0.5 dS/m, 3.3 dS/m, 4.9 dS/m, 6.6 dS/m and 8.2 dS/m). The results indicated that the soil salinity rose slightly and was maintained in balance in the first two years owing to the moderate freshwater irrigation after planting. In 2020, surface salinity accumulation occurred when the ECi was greater than 3.3 dS/m. The average soil salinity at 0–100 cm soil depth was near that of the irrigation water. The effects of irrigation water salinity on plant growth and yield were also investigated. Salinity hindered the growth of the sunflower, which was indicated by a decrease of plant height, biomass, and plant water content. Salinity also reduced sunflower yield by reducing the disk diameter and 100-grain weight. IWP increased in the first two years and then decreased in the third year with an increase in the irrigation water salinity. The salinity threshold for oleic sunflower was 1.3 dS/m, and the sunflower seed yield decreased by 4.9% for every 1 dS/m increase in soil salinity. To ensure a seed yield of over 75%, the soil salinity should be less than 6.4 dS/m. It was concluded that for oleic sunflower drip irrigation in arid areas, the plant, should be irrigated with 80 mm of freshwater to leach salt after planting. This not only ensures that the seed yield is no less than 85% but also maintains a balanced soil salinity after harvest when the ECi increases to 8.2 dS/m.

Effects of mixed irrigation using brackish water with different salinities and reclaimed water on a soil-crop system

AbstractTo explore the effects of mixed irrigation on soil and crops, a pot experiment was conducted in two salinity levels of brackish water, four levels of mixed brackish-reclaimed water and freshwater irrigation as the control. The soil Na-Cl to Ca-SO4 contents changed, and activities of soil alkaline phosphatase and polyphenol oxidase changed, exhibiting a ‘V’-shaped curve with increasing the proportion of reclaimed water in the mixture. At the same brackish-reclaimed water level, there were no significant differences in alkaline phosphatase and polyphenol oxidase activities except for soil alkaline phosphatase activity decreasing significantly with the increase in salinity under brackish water irrigation. Mixed irrigation obviously improved superoxide dismutase activity but no significant influences on aboveground dry weight, underground biomass or crop physiological indexes (chlorophyll, soluble protein, malondialdehyde, peroxidase, catalase). Based on the integrated biological response index version 2 (IBRv2), the deviation of reclaimed water irrigation was the smallest, followed by 1:1 and 1:2 (3, 5 g/L brackish water salinities, respectively), with IBRv2 values of 7.94, 12.55 and 16.04. Therefore, considering the soil-crop characteristics, limited daily water amount and inadequate pipeline facilities for reclaimed water, the brackish-reclaimed water ratio should be 1:1 and 1:2 at 3, 5 g/L of brackish water, respectively.

Effects of organic amendments on soil properties and growth characteristics of Melon (Cucumis melo L.) under saline irrigation

Establishing strategies of organic amendments application to mitigate the adverse effects of saline irrigation are essential for the sustainable agriculture. A two-year pot experiment was conducted using combinations of organic amendments including effective microorganisms (EM), biochar (BC) and digestate (Di) to investigate their effects on soil and melon (Cucumis melo L.) compared with the recommended NPK fertilizer and Control (CK) under two levels of irrigation water salinity (SL0: 0.25 dS/m, SL1: 2.0 dS/m). Results showed combined applications of organic amendments could significantly (p<0.05) increase soil pH and organic matter (OM) compared to NPK and CK. Application of organic amendments containing BC evidently increased the sodium adsorptive capacity (SAC) under saline water solution. The combined application of EM, BC and Di (EM+BC+Di) could significantly (p<0.05) improve soil available water retention under SL0 and SL1 compared with other treatments. Results also showed organic amendments application can significantly (p<0.05) enhance the photosynthetic rate (Pr) and reduce sodium ion (Na+) content in melon leaves. EM+BC+Di could significantly (p<0.05) increase water use efficiency (WUE) and fruit yield of melon under SL0 and SL1 in comparison to other treatments. It proved that EM+BC+Di had a positive effect on soil improvement, melon growth, WUE and fruit yield. Moreover, EM+BC+Di could be used as an alternative strategy for mineral NPK fertilization of melon at reasonable dosages and frequencies under saline irrigation. Keywords: organic amendments, saline irrigation, soil improvement, melon, water use efficiency DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20211405.6607 Citation: Elbashier M M A, Shao Y L, Wang L K, Chen D L, Zhong H. Effects of organic amendments on soil properties and growth characteristics of Melon (Cucumis melo L.) under saline irrigation. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2021; 14(5): 123–129.

Risk of Secondary Soil Salinization under Mixed Irrigation Using Brackish Water and Reclaimed Water

The use of unconventional water resources is an effective way to alleviate the scarcity of freshwater resources, especially in areas where freshwater is scarce, but reclaimed water is abundant. To explore the reasonable utilization of brackish water and reclaimed water, a pot experiment was carried out to study the risk of secondary soil salinization. The experiment set two salinity levels of brackish water, four mixed irrigation ratios of brackish water and reclaimed water, and freshwater irrigation as the control. The results showed that: (1) Soil moisture content, salt content, pH, ESP, and SAR decreased with the increase in the proportion of reclaimed water in the mixture. (2) Soil exchangeable Ca2+ content under mixed irrigation was higher than that of brackish water irrigation and reclaimed water irrigation. The content was especially significantly higher under the 1:2 mixed irrigation with brackish-reclaimed water. With the increase of the proportion of reclaimed water in the mixture, soil exchangeable Na+ content decreased, and a significant difference was found between treatments. The soil exchangeable K+ decreased at first and then increased, while the soil exchangeable Ca2+ increased at first and then decreased. The trend of the change of soil exchangeable Mg2+ content was similar to that of soil exchangeable Ca2+ content. (3) Based on the soil pH value, there was no risk of soil alkalization in all treatments. Based on ESP, ESP was less than 15% under freshwater irrigation, brackish (3 g/L)-reclaimed water 1:2 mixed irrigation, and reclaimed water irrigation, indicating no risk of alkalization. However, other treatments may cause soil alkalization. (4) At 3 g/L of brackish water, there was a salinization risk when the proportion of reclaimed water in the mixture was less than 1/2, but there was no salinization risk when the proportion was greater than 1/2. At 5 g/L of brackish water, there was a salinization risk under mixed irrigation. Therefore, the mixed irrigation of brackish water and reclaimed water had the risk of secondary soil salinization, and the appropriate salinity and mixing ratio should be selected.

Effects of Different Water Table Depth and Salinity Levels on Quality Traits of Bread Wheat

Abiotic stress factors encountered in production lands influence both the yield and the quality traits of bread wheat. This study investigated the effects of three different water table depths (30, 55, and 80 cm) and four different groundwater salinity levels (0.38, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 dSm−1) on some quality traits of bread wheat under irrigated and unirrigated conditions. The experiments were conducted in the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons in randomized blocks—factorial (three factors) experimental design with three replications under controlled conditions. The hectoliter weight, fat ratio, starch ratio, protein content, Zeleny sedimentation, wet gluten content, ash ratio, acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) values were investigated. The hectoliter weights varied between 66.1% and 77.8 kg, fat ratios between 1.49% and 1.70%, starch ratios between 61.9% and 67.8%, protein contents between 11.9% and 13.8%, Zeleny sedimentation values between 23.5 and 28.0 mL, wet gluten contents between 25.0% and 28.8%, ash ratios between 1.43% and 1.75%, and ADF values between 2.85% and 4.12%. The quality traits were positively influenced by increasing the water table depths. With increasing the groundwater salinity levels, the hectoliter weight, fat ratio, starch ratio, and NDF values decreased, while the protein ratio, sedimentation value, wet gluten content, ash ratio, and ADF values increased.

Did manure improve saline water irrigation threshold of winter wheat? A 3-year field investigation

Winter wheat production has been constrained by groundwater shortage in North China Plain. Adoption of a suitable saline water irrigation program and fertilizer management can save water and improve yield. A three-year field experiment was conducted in Bohai lowland plain to identify the effects of fertilizer application, saline water irrigation quantity and irrigation water salinity on wheat yield, water productivity and soil properties. Manure and chemical fertilizer were used as basal fertilizer. Saline water irrigation quantities were 80 mm (irrigation at jointing stage) and 160 mm (irrigation at jointing and grain-filling stages, 80 mm per irrigation). Irrigation water salinity levels were 2.0, 6.0 and 8.8 dS m−1. Results showed that greater irrigation quantities improved grain yield by 15.1% regardless of irrigation water salinity with chemical fertilizer in dry year, as shown by the increase in 1000-kernel weight. Manure increased grain yield compared with chemical fertilizer by 15.3%, 37.5% and 12.3% in three seasons 2017–2020 mainly by increasing spike number, regardless of saline water irrigation quantity or irrigation water salinity. Increases in grain yield and aboveground biomass led to higher water productivity. Saline water irrigation threshold increased from 6.0 to 8.8 dS m−1 with deficit irrigation and manure fertilizer due to the stable high yield. Irrigation water salinity of 6.0 and 8.8 dS m−1 decreased organic matter (0–20 cm) by 19.4% and 13.1% compared with salinity of 2.0 dS m−1. Manure increased soil organic matter (0–20 cm) by 20.5% and soil water depletion (0–160 cm) by 68.6% compared with chemical fertilizer, and reduced soil EC by 18.3% and NO3-N by 62.2% at 0–160 cm soil depth. Heatmaps and entropy-TOPSIS analysis showed that the optimum field management for high-yield and water-saving was obtained with the combination of manure fertilizer and saline water irrigation quantity of 80 mm with salinity 8.8 dS m−1.

Effect of water salinity on survival and osmotic level of larval (Zoea Stage) of mud crabs Scylla tranquebarica

Mud crab of the genus Scylla are considered one of the most sought-after seafood today. This crab species has high quality and delicious aging growth rate and encourage expansion in the aquaculture sector especially in Southeast Asian Countries. However, salinity changes will cause changes in organisms osmotic pressure, and every aquatic biota has an optimal salinity range for survival. The study focuses on evaluating the effect of water salinity on the survival and osmotic levels of the purple mud crab, larvae of Scylla tranquebarica at the zoea stage. The LC50 assessment was performed in 10 different level of water salinity (0; 5; 10; 15; 20; 25; 30; 35, 40, and 50 ppt). Each treatment involved 20 ind./L of newly hatched crabs and being observed for 24 h in 10 different water salinity using 1 L volume glass container. The number of crab’s mortality were taken for each salinity regime. Larval behavior monitored during experiment. Meanwhile, the measurement of osmotic level was carried out at the salinity of 25, 30, and 35 ppt. The result shows that mud crab larvae exhibit any tolerance on the low salinity ranged from 0-10 ppt and the salinity of > 40 ppt. On the other hand, mud crab larvae were still able to survive at the salinity ranged from 20-40 ppt for more than 24 hours. The trend of the osmotic level of mud crab to survive is by hypo osmotic to iso osmotic.

Antioxidants, inhibits the growth of foodborne pathogens and reduces nitric oxide activity in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells of nipa palm vinegar.

Nipa palm vinegar (NPV) made from the sap of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans Wurmb.) has long been used as a local food seasoning and folk medicine. This study compared the bioactive compounds, antioxidant, in vitro anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities of three NPVs obtained from different plantations based on varied soil and water salinity levels, including fresh water NPV, brackish water NPV and saline water NPV. The analysis results revealed that total phenolic content of saline water NPV had statistically significantly lower than both fresh water and brackish water NPV (p < 0.0001). Furthermore percentage of acetic acid in brackish water NPV had statistically significantly lower than both fresh water and saline water. NPV (p = 0.002). Nevertheless, total flavonoid and pH, were not significantly different (p = 0.144 and 0.066, respectively). The antioxidant activities using three ABTS, DPPH and FRAP methods displayed similar patterns, in which saline water NPV showed the highest antioxidant activities, followed by brackish water and fresh water NPV, respectively. Antimicrobial activity was examined for seven enteropathogenic bacteria. The tested NPVs were found inhibitive against all test cultures with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ≤ 7.8 µL/mL. The cytotoxicity of the NPV obtained from different plantations by MTT assay revealed low cytotoxicity. Anti-inflammatory activity was also carried out through the inhibition of nitric oxide production. The fresh water NPV exhibited the highest anti-inflammatory activity with IC50 17.59 ± 0.17 µL/mL, followed by saline and brackish water NPV with IC50 18.12 ± 0.49 and 28.29 ± 2.64 µL/mL, respectively. The findings indicated that NPV from different soil salinities could potentially be natural functional food and developed to antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory medicinal agents with safety.