Effect of salinity on growth of twelve cultivars of the United Arab Emirates Date Palm

Mohamed Salman Alhammadi, Glenn P. Edward

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    12 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    To successfully use salt water for crop production and start a breeding program, more information is needed about the response of salt-tolerant plants to saline environments. The objective of this experiment was to test the growth of 12 cultivars of the United Arab Emirates date palm seeds at four sodium chloride (NaCl) levels. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Optimal growth was found at control and 3000 ppm of NaCl. Relative growth rate (RGR), biomass, and number of leaves (NL) decreased significantly by increasing salinity. Increased NaCl leads to significant decreases in potassium (K+), magnesium (Mg2+), and calcium (Ca2+) contents of plants. The Na/K ratios were lower in shoots than in roots. 'Lulu,' 'Fard,' 'Khnaizi,' 'Nabtat Safi,' and 'Razez' cultivars showed greater RGR and biomasses, whereas 'Khnaizi,' 'Mesally,' and 'Safri' had greater Na/K ratios than others in the control indicating greater Na+ discriminations from plant parts.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)2372-2388
    Number of pages17
    JournalCommunications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis
    Volume40
    Issue number15-16
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2009

    Keywords

    • Halophyte
    • Seedling
    • Sodium chloride

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Agronomy and Crop Science
    • Soil Science

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