Effect of Saline Irrigation Water on Some Soil Properties and Growth of Certain Wheat and Barley Cultivars r' Grown on a Sandy Calcareous Soil

Abstract

Pot and field experiments were carried out to study the response of certain genotypes of wheat and barley grown on a sandy calcareous soil under Qena conditions to different salinity levels of irrigation water and to some irrigation management treatments of saline ground water. These experiments were conducted in the experimental furm of Faculty of Agriculture at Qena, South Valley University. The plant growth, yield, yield components and nutrient uptake by these genotypes as well as soil properties at harvest were examined to show effects of these treatments. The genotypes were collected from Arizona, USA. I. Effect of Salinity levels of Irrigation Water on Growth and

Nutrient Content of Plants as well as Soil Properties.

A pot experiment was carried out in the greenhouse at the experimental farm, Faculty of Agriculture at Qena, South Valley University, during the winter season of 2002/2003 to study the effect of saline irrigation water on the growth, yield and nutrient uptake by two genotypes of wheat and two genotypes of barley. Levels of saline irrigation water were artificially prepared using a mixture of NaCl and CaC!, salts of a 2: l molecular weight ratio. Six salinity levels of irrigation water were used, namely fresh water of 390 mg/l as a control, 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 mg/l as well as 3430 mg/l of total dissolved

salts (T.D.S) as a ground water.

The results can be summarized as follow:

A. Plant growth: Wheat genotvpes l. Use of saline irrigation water having 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, and 3430

mg/l resulted in decreases in fresh weight, dry weight and plant height of both wheat genotypes. The major inhibitory effects of salinity on plant