Physiological and productive response of wheat plants under the influence of irrigation water salinity when treated with potassium and salicylic acid

Abstract

Abstract. This study is aimed at establishing the importance of potassium fertilization with salicylic acid in amounting capability of wheat plant to offset with the salinity stress caused by irrigation water salinity. The pot experiment was designed with three replicates of Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD) to investigate the effect of four irrigation water salinity levels (2 dS m^-1, 4 dS m^-1, 6 dS m^-1, 8 dS m^-1), three salicylic acid concentration levels (0, 150 and 300 mg L-1), and two level of potassium fertilization. The results showed that increasing salinity levels led to higher accumulation of sodium and proline in the grains, accompanied by a significant reduction in potassium concentration and some physiological traits related to growth and productivity. The results also indicated that treatment with salicylic acid and potassium fertilisation helped improve ionic balance within the plant and reduce the harmful effects of salinity stress. By reducing sodium accumulation, increasing potassium content, and improving growth efficiency. The interactions between the study factors, both two-way and three-way, showed significant differences in most of the traits studied, with treatments that combined the lowest salinity level with the addition of potassium and a high concentration of salicylic acid achieving the best results in improving yield traits and reducing salinity-related damage. The study concludes that the integration of potassium fertilisation and salicylic acid spraying is an effective method to enhance wheat plant tolerance to salinity stress and maintain its productive efficiency under saline irrigation conditions.

Keywords: wheat; water salinity; fertilizer potassium; salicylic acid