Journal of Crop Nutrition Science
Volume:9 Issue: 2, Spring 2023

Among the abiotic stresses, soil salinity is a prevalent environmental issue that impacts more than 77 million hectares (5% of the cultivable land worldwide). Potassium plays a crucial role in plant growth under saline conditions, as it is involved in essential processes such as photosynthesis and osmo regulatory adaptations that help plants cope with water stress. To investigate the impact of salinity stress and potassium sulfate on crop production and qualitative traits of mung bean current research was done. This study was conducted according factorial experiment based on randomized completely block design with three replications. The study was carried out in pots located in Ahvaz during the 2014 cropping season. The investigated factors included potassium fertilizer at three levels (including 0, 100, 200 kg.ha-1) from source of potassium sulfate and salinity stress from sodium chloride at 4 levels (including control, 2, 4, 6 ds.m-1). The results indicated that both salinity stress treatment and potassium fertilizer had a significant impact on yield and yield components, biological yield, chlorophyll index and proline content. The highest seed yield (with an average of 15.4 grams per plant) was achieved in the 0 ds.m-1 (control), while the lowest yield (with an average of 9.8 grams per plant) was observed at the salinity level of 6 ds.m-1. The treatment with 6 ds.m-1 salinity level exhibited the highest proline content (with an average of 7.76 mg.g-1 of leaf weight). Additionally, the application of potassium fertilizer led to a significant increase in both seed yield and biological yield. The highest seed yield was observed in the control treatment (without salinity stress) and with the consumption of 100 kg.ha-1 of potassium fertilizer (with an average of 15.29 grams per plant). On the other hand, the lowest seed yield was recorded in the treatment with 6 ds.m-1 salinity level and no application of potassium fertilizer (with an average of 6.86 grams per plant). According to the obtained results, under the salinity treatment of 4 ds.m-1, the application of 100 kg.ha-1 of potassium fertilizer effectively prevented the reduction in Mung bean yield, which was not significantly different from the 200 kg.ha-1 fertilizer treatment. The use of 100 kg.ha-1 of potassium fertilizer can be considered as an effective management strategy to mitigate the negative impact of salinity stress on mung bean yield.

Salicylic acid (SA) is a small molecule phenolic substance and secondary metabolite, which is commonly found in different plants. Abscisic acid (ABA), one of the five recognized plant hormones. The purpose of this research was to investigate the most effective abscisic acid to salicylic acid ratio at different growth stages and its influence on crop production and qualitative trait of Cowpea. Current study was conducted in the summer of 2016 in Shahid Salemi farm according factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with 3 replications. This experiment included different ratios of abscisic acid to salicylic acid at 3 levels [including no use (control), 1.5:2 and 3:4 Mm/(mg/g)] and also included three of foliar application in different periods of growth [1-Before 30 days (slow growth period) 2- Flowering time 3- Pod appearance]. The difference between the different ratios of abscisic acid to salicylic acid in terms of pod length, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 1000 seed weight, seed yield, biological yield, harvest index and protein percentage were statistically significant at the 1% of probability level. The difference between the levels of different periods of foliar application in all measured traits was significant at the 1% of probability level. The interaction effects of treatments on seed yield and biological yield was significant at the 1% of probability level and pod length and the number of pods per plant at the 5% of probability level. The highest seed yield, with an average of 2859 kg.ha-1, was related to the ratio of 1.5:2 abscisic acid to salicylic acid during vegetative growth, and the lowest (with an average of 1035 kg.ha-1) was related to the ratio of 3:4 hormones and foliar application at the pod appearance stage. According to the obtained results, it is recommended to apply the ratio of 3:4 abscisic acids to salicylic acid during vegetative growth to increase both quantitative and qualitative yield.

Plant nutrition with nitrogen, biochar, and bacteria leads to the improvement of soil quality, enhanced nutrient supply and facilitated root growth, all of which play a significant role in increasing agricultural productivity and improving crop yields. To investigate the yield reaction of Chamran cultivar wheat and root properties to mycorrhiza and biochar at different levels of nitrogen, an experiment was conducted during two crop years (2017-18) in the southwest of Iran. The experiment was designed as a factorial study using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. The experimental factors included four levels of nitrogen (applied as urea with 46% nitrogen): 0, 50, 100, and 150kg.N.ha-1, two levels of Rhizophagus Irregularis inoculum (without and with application), and three levels of biochar: 0, 4, and 8 ton.ha-1. The results of the analysis of variance demonstrated significant effects of urea fertilizer, mycorrhiza and biochar on root length, root diameter and root colonization. In this research, the combined use of biochar and urea fertilizer in plants inoculated with mycorrhiza fungi showed better effects on all investigated traits compared to the use of biochar, nitrogen, and mycorrhiza alone. The highest values for root length, root diameter, root dry weight, root volume and root surface density were obtained from the application of 100 and 150 kg.N.ha-1 of nitrogen, along with 4 and 8 ton.ha-1 of biochar and mycorrhiza. In plants inoculated with mycorrhiza fungi at a biochar level of 4 ton.ha-1, there was a significant increase in root length (24%), root colonization rate (9%), root volume (22%) and root surface density (35%) compared to the control plants. This increase was attributed to the improved ability to absorb nutrients and enhance plant growth. According to the results of this research, the application of 100 kg.N.ha-1 of nitrogen and 4 ton.ha-1 of biochar in plants inoculated with mycorrhiza fungi played a vital and effective role in promoting wheat growth and increasing yield by improving the root system.

Salicylic acid exerts significant effects on plant morph physiology, playing a pivotal role in stimulating protective mechanisms and enhancing resistance against both biotic and abiotic stresses. Current research was done to assess effect of biofertilizers and salicylic acid under non-irrigation conditions at different growth stages at corn crop production. The study was done as a split-plot experiment, using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The main plots consisted of different irrigation conditions at various growth stages (including full irrigation (control), non-irrigation from the flowering stage to the end of the growth period and non-irrigation from the beginning of the grain filling stage to the end of the growth period) and various combinations of biological fertilizers and salicylic acid treatments were implemented in the sub-plots (including the control treatment, 1 mM salicylic acid, nitroxin + biophosphorus bacteria grain rub and nitroxin + biophosphorus bacteria grain rub along with salicylic acid spraying). The results indicated significant effects of irrigation treatments, biological fertilizers and salicylic acid, as well as their interactions, on leaf area index, yield and yield components. Non-irrigation from the flowering stage resulted in a substantial 58.3% reduction in grain yield compared to the control. However, the combined application of biological fertilizers and salicylic acid, under both non-irrigation and full irrigation conditions, led to a noteworthy increase in yield and yield components. In the non-irrigation treatment starting from the flowering stage and grain filling stages, the application of nitroxin + biophosphorus + salicylic acid bacteria treatment resulted in a significant increase in grain yield by 22.7% and 19.3%, respectively, compared to the control treatment. Moreover, the highest grain yield (with an average of 6552 kg.ha-1) was achieved through the combined effect of full irrigation and nitroxin + biophosphorus + salicylic acid foliar application. The application of non-irrigation during the grain filling stage, along with the combined use of nitroxin + biophosphorus grain treatment and salicylic acid foliar application, not only provided optimal conditions for the corn plant but also effectively mitigated the adverse effects of drought stress, resulting in yields equivalent to those achieved under normal irrigation conditions.

Asparagus is a perennial crop that is well-suited for small-scale and part-time farming operations, and it is considered a healthy food with a high content of bioactive compounds. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different fertilizer treatments on the yield and agricultural characteristics of various cultivars of Asparagus plants at Safi Abad Dezful Agricultural Research. The experiment was done as a split-plot design based on completely randomized block design with three replications. The main factor consisted of three cultivars of asparagus (Mary Washington, Linda and Mike), while the sub-factor included five fertilizer levels (1-Manure fertilizer, 2-Basic chemical fertilizers + manure fertilizer, 3- Basic chemical fertilizers + manure fertilizer + sulfur, 4- Basic chemical fertilizers + manure fertilizer + calcium and 5- Basic chemical fertilizers + manure fertilizer + calcium + sulfur). The results indicated significant effects of both cultivar and fertilizer treatment on the fresh and dry yield of the edible stem and the daily growth of the stem. Furthermore, the interaction between cultivar and fertilizer had a significant effect on fresh and dry yield of the edible stem, stem daily growth, amount of nitrogen and protein percentage. The study revealed a significant variation between the different asparagus cultivars and fertilizer treatments concerning the measured traits. Specifically, the Mary Washington cultivar exhibited the highest number of stems per plant (14.8), while Mike cultivar had greatest stem diameter (11.2 mm). The usage of manure fertilizer along with chemical fertilizers, sulfur, and calcium in the Mary Washington cultivar resulted in the highest yields of edible and dry stems, measuring 2758 and 665 kg.ha-1, respectively. Moreover, results demonstrated that simultaneous application of manure fertilizer and basic chemical fertilizers led to the highest nitrogen content (7.41%) and protein content (46.25%) in the Linda cultivar. Based on the findings of this research, for achieving the highest yield of edible and dry stems in asparagus plants in the Dezful region, it is recommended to choose the Linda cultivar and apply a combination of manure fertilizer with chemical fertilizers, sulfur, and calcium.

Paclobutrazol ((2RS, 3RS)-1-4(-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl-penten-3-ol) is a member of the triazole family, that protects plants against various stresses. Probably paclobutrazol affects the morphology and biochemical and physiological reactions of plant by regulating the level of endogenous hormones (inhibition of gibberellin biosynthesis, increase of abscisic acid, decrease of ethylene, change of cytokinin content and modulation of their transporter genes). Morphological effects of paclobutrazol are include reduction of stem length and lower internode length, increase in stem physical strength, thicker stems, increase in leaf thickness, thicker epicuticular wax layer on leaf, reduction of leaf area, larger chloroplasts, and increase in root growth. Biochemical effects of paclobutrazol include the increase of proline, chlorophyll and carotenoids, polyamines, protein, and soluble carbohydrates and the detoxification of reactive oxygen species through the increase of antioxidant activities. These changes increase the tolerance of plants to environmental stress. One of the environmental stresses that disrupts the natural activity of plants, and the use of paclobutrazol helps to moderate its negative effects, is chilling stress. Chilling stress, especially in tropical and sub-tropical species, through changes in biochemical and physiological processes, causes negative effects on plants. Paclobutrazol protects plants against chilling stress and ameliorates chilling damage by strengthening the antioxidant defense system, regulating hormone levels, and improving photosynthesis system. In this article, the role of paclobutrazol to alleviate the adverse effects of cold stress in plants is examined. Moreover, various morphological, biochemical and physiological processes leading to improved crop production under the effect of paclobutrazol are discoursed in detail.