Study of foliar application effect of silicon and potassium elements on some biochemical and ecophysiological traits of Pistachio seedlings cv. Badami E-Riz Zarand Kerman under salinity stress

In order to study the effect of different amounts of potassium silicate and potassium sulfate on growth traits of pistachio seedlings cv. Badami-E-Riz Kerman, an experiment was done as factorial with three factors, including two levels of salinity as source of NaCl (0 and 90 mM), three levels of silicon as source of potassium silicate (0, 50 and 100 mgL-1) and three levels of potassium as source of potassium sulfate (0, 1 and 2%), in compeletely randomized design with three replications. 45 days after the emergence of seeds, seedlings were exposed to salt stress foliar application of potassium silicate and potassium sulfate, both a week before and after starting salinity stress. The results showed that salinity decreased leaf relative water content, water use efficiency, leaf total soluble protein and increased electrolytes leakage, proline, soluble sugars, phenolic compounds in leaf and glycine betaine in leaf and root. Foliar application of potassium silicate and potassium sulfate increased leaf relative water content, water use efficiency, leaf total soluble protein, proline, soluble sugars, phenolic compounds and glycine betaine in leaf and roots, and reduced electrolytes leakage under salinity conditions. The most effective treatments were 50 mgL-1 potassium silicate and 2% potassium sulfate.