Impact on plant productivity under low-fertility sandy soil in arid environment by revitalization of lentil roots.

Lentil is one of the essential legume crops, which provides protein for humans and animals. This legume can improve soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, which is imperative in low-fertility soils. The growth and productivity of lentil could be enhanced through improving nutrition and root revitalization. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of root activator (RA) and phosphorus (P) application on morphological, physiological, agronomic, and quality traits of lentil under newly reclaimed low-fertility sandy soil in an arid environment. The RA was applied at four levels of 0 (RA0-untreated control), 1.25 (RA1), 2.5 (RA2), and 3.75 (RA3) l ha-1. RA contained 9% potassium humate, 1,600 ppm indole butyric acid, 200 ppm gibberellic acid, and 200 ppm naphthalene acetic acid. The recommended rate of phosphorus (P) fertilization in the newly reclaimed low-fertility sandy soil (75 kg P2O5 ha-1) was applied, and its amount was increased and decreased by 25 kg P2O5 ha-1 vs. non-added control. Thus, P rates were applied at four rates 0 (P0; control), 50 (P1), 75 (P2), and 100 (P3) kg phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) ha-1. Our results revealed that treated lentil plants with the high levels of both treatments (RA3 and P3) exhibited superiority in root measurements (root length, total number of nodules plant-1, number of active nodules plant-1, dry weights of active nodules, and total root), nitrogenase activity, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, yield traits, and seed proteins and carbohydrates. However, the recommended P level (75 kg P2O5 ha-1, P2) under the high level of RA (3.75 l ha-1, RA3) displayed non-significant differences in yield traits (plant height, 1,000-seed weight, seed yield ha-1) and quality traits (protein and carbohydrate) with the high P level (100 kg P2O5 ha-1, P3). Accordingly, its recommended economically and environmentally to use this coapplication of RA3 and P3 in low-fertility soil for better lentil growth, and seed yield and quality.

Consecutive seasonal effect on yield and water productivity of drip deficit irrigated sorghum in saline soils.

Drought stress destructively affects the growth and productivity of sorghum crop, especially under saline soils. Therefore, Field trials were performed to determine the influence of water stress on water productivity (water productivity for grain, (G-WP) and water productivity for forage, (F-WP), yield of sorghum and soil properties in salt-affected soil (8.20 dS m-1) under different sowing dates and irrigation regimes. The summer sowing (SS) was performed on 1 April while fall sowing (FS) was established on 2 August. The irrigation regimes were; 100, 90, 80, and 70% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc). The findings displayed that the fodder and grain yields were increased by 23% and 26% under SS compared to FS over the two seasons 2017 and 2018, respectively. Among irrigation levels, the maximum values of grain and fodder yield were given by 100% of ETc, while a non-significant difference was observed between 100% and 90% of ETc. Moreover, the maximum values of G-WP (1.31%) and F-WP (9.00%) were recorded for 90% of ETc. Interestingly, the soil salinity was decreased in 0-0.6 m depth, and more decline was noted in 0-0.2 m depth using 90% of ETc. The highest salt accumulation withinside the soil profile was recorded under 70% of ETc in comparison to 100% of ETc. Thereupon, under water scarcity, application of 90% of ETc is recommended with SS to save 10% of the applied irrigation water without a significant decrease in grain yield (GY).

Sequential Antioxidants Foliar Application Can Alleviate Negative Consequences of Salinity Stress in Vicia faba L.

Salinity is one of the most limiting abiotic stresses in agricultural productivity. Exogenously applied antioxidants successfully enabled salt-stressed plants to cope with stress. Two-season field experiments were conducted consecutively in 2016/17 and 2017/18 to study the effects of foliar applications of singular (ascorbate, AsA; proline, Pro; and glutathione, GSH) or sequential (AsA-Pro-GSH and GSH-Pro-AsA) antioxidants on growth, yield, physio-biochemical attributes, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidative defense system of Vicia faba L. (CV. Sakha-1) plants grown under saline soil conditions (EC = 4.53 dS m-1). Under soil salinity conditions, AsA, Pro, or GSH-Pro-ASA improved growth and productivity, photosynthesis efficiency, stomatal conductance (gs), plant water status, as well as enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. However, sequential AsA-Pro-GSH foliar application followed by singular GSH significantly exceeded all other treatments (i.e., AsA, Pro, and GSH-Pro-AsA), improving growth characteristics (shoot length, shoot fresh and dry weights, and leaves area), photosynthesis efficiency, stomatal conductance, plant water status, and yield and its components (green pods weight/plant-1, green pods yield/hectare-1, and seed yield/hectare-1), as well as enzymatic (ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione reductase) and non-enzymatic (AsA, GSH, Pro, phenolic aglycone, phenolic glycosides) antioxidants compared to control. Overall, our results clearly demonstrate that sequential AsA-Pro-GSH foliar application has a positive effect on salt-stressed Vicia faba plants.