Effect of Water and Salinity Stress on Evapotranspiration and Growth of Barhee Juvenile Date Palms

Irrigation water availability could be enhanced through suitable use of water in agriculture as by use of saline, and reuse of drainage waters. This factorial experiment was carried out as based upon a randomized complete design of three replications for an investigation of water and salinity stress effects on Barhee juvenile date palm evapotranspiration and growth. The treatments were three irrigation depths of 100%, 85% and 70% water requirement and three irrigation water salinities of 2.5, 8 and 12 dS/m. The results revealed that irrigation depth, water salinity and interaction of irrigation depth and water salinity had significantly affected soil salinity and plant evapotranspiration. The maximum and minimum plant evapotranspiration rates were recorded 1488.9 and 861 mm in water salinity state of 2.5 dS/m with an irrigation depth of 100% vs water salinity of 12 dS/m with irrigation depth of 70% water requirement, respectively. The salinity stress decreased juvenile date palms, evapotranspiration more than water stress did. The irrigation depth, irrigation water salinity and interaction of irrigation depth and irrigation water salinity significantly affected all the plant's vegetative characters. The highest plant vegetative growth obtained from water salinity of 2.5 dS/m and irrigation depth of 100%, but not significantly different from the case of irrigation depth of 85% with respect to vegetative characters. Therefore, irrigation depth of Barhee juvenile date palms can be reduced, but care must be taken to avoid plant's salinity stress.