Changes in growth indices and drought tolerance of different Atriplex species under the influence of different sources of organic and chemical fertilizers

The global approach in agricultural production is to increase the quantitative and qualitative yield of plants through management methods such as the use of organic fertilizers and reducing the use of chemical fertilizers. This experiment was conducted as a split factorial arrangement with three replications in two folds in Bandarabbas during 2018 and 2019. The main factor included irrigation intervals at three levels (irrigation 80, 60, and 40% of field capacity) and the subfactor was different fertilizer sources at three levels (poultry manure, sheep manure, and chemical fertilizer based on the results of soil and plant test) and different species of Atriplex (A. canascens, A. leucoclada and A. lentiformis). The results showed that increasing drought stress increased ion and malondialdehyde leakage and decreased relative leaf water content and leaf chlorophyll content of Atriplex. In irrigation of 60 and 40% of field capacity, the use of poultry and sheep manures reduced ion and malondialdehyde leakage of leaves. At 40% of field capacity, plant height in poultry and sheep manures increased by 28% and 38% compared to chemical fertilizer. Also, in 40% of field capacity, biological yield in poultry and sheep manures compared to chemical fertilizer showed a 4 and 8% increase. Increasing the total phenol content in sheep manures compared to chemical fertilizer in irrigation was 40% of field capacity. Overall, the results showed that the use of organic fertilizers by improving physiological traits to some extent increased the resistance to drought stress. Also, in drought stress conditions, organic fertilizers were more effective than chemical fertilizers. In general, based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that the use of organic fertilizers in order to provide all or part of the nutritional needs of Atriplex maintains the optimal yield of Atriplex plants under water stress conditions.