Effects of Nitrogen and Phosphorous Application on Shoot and Root Yield of Madder in Saline Conditions of Fars Province

To succeed in exploiting salt affected soils, proper nutrient supply is required. That is, by providing the correct elements in the optimum amount and ratio, soil conditions should be changed so that the growth of the plant is improved and the product is obtained. N and P are the most important nutrients in plants and they have a significant role in increasing the yield of crops. In salinity stress conditions, their absorption is limited to other nutrients. Nitrogen is an essential element in the plant's vital processes, which improves its absorption and application in biochemical and physiological mechanisms of the condition to tolerate salinity. Sufficient phosphorus increases the growth of the plant and develops and extends the root. For this purpose, the plant can use a larger amount of soil to absorb nutrients and moisture. Several researchers have reported that the use of phosphorus significantly increases the root dry weight of the plant, and increasing the amount of phosphorus absorbed in the soil facilitates plant growth in saline soil and to some extent, moderates the negative effects of salinity. Research on madder plant in different fields has been limited and the study of the effect of urea and phosphorus fertilizers on the absorption of mineral elements and morphological and physiological traits of the plant has not been done so far. Today, the use of chemical fertilizers for the production of agricultural products in arid and semi-arid areas with a low fertility level is inevitable. The cultivation and production of madder as an industrial plant that has been tolerant to salinity in Iran has long been widespread, but research on the nutrition of this plant is very scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of urea and triple superphosphate fertilizers application on shoot and root yield of madder plant in Fars province.
A three year's factorial experiment with three replications and two-factor design was a randomized complete block design. The first factor was urea with 4 levels of zero, 50, 100 and 150 kg/ha and the second factor was triple super phosphate fertilizer with 4 levels of zero, 50, 100 and 150 kg/ha. This investigation was carried out in saline water and soil conditions. In all treatments, the manure at the rate of 40 T/ha was applied before planting. About 25 seeds in rows at 5 cm depth for bulk and at a distance of 40 cm were planted. Experimental plots measuring was 3 m by 4 m. Shoot yields were measured during three years and root yield were measured in the third year.
Data analysis of variance showed that the effect of urea fertilizer in the first year at P
It can be concluded that application of high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus (150 kg/ha) increases the production of root dry weight of madder plant in saline conditions.