Effect of Low Irrigation and Type of Culture Medium on Water Use Efficiency and Some Morphological and Physiological Characteristics of the Stock Plant

This study aims at investigating morphological and physiological characteristics as well as water use efficiency of the stock plant in various low irrigation treatments and culture media. For so doing, a research has been conducted in the form of split plots with a completely randomized block design with three replications in the crop year 2018-2019 in the research greenhouse of the College of Abouraihan, University of Tehran. The treatments include four culture media (perlite, perlite + enriched manure, perlite + zeolite, and perlite + vermicompost) and three low irrigation levels (100% (control), 75%, and 50% of water needs). Results indicate the significant effects (P < 0.01) of culture medium on plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, root fresh and dry weight, plant fresh and dry weight, as well as water use efficiency, and the perlite + vermicompost media improves all these traits. Moreover, severe irrigation treatment (50%) has had negative effects on plant growth parameters, i.e., root fresh weight and diameter, while irrigation at 75% of water needs does not have any undesirable effect on plants, significantly increasing water use efficiency (P < 0.01). The perlite + vermicompost with 75% low irrigation treatment increases the water use efficiency by about 1.8 times, compared to the control in the perlite culture media. Due to the decrease in the quality of growth characteristics in severe low irrigation treatments (50%), this plant’s production is recommended in irrigation at 75% of the water needs.