Growth Responses, Physiological Alterations and Alleviation of Salinity Stress in Sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.) Amended with Gypsum and Composted Cow Dung

Muhammad Naveed, Muhammad Kamran Aslam, Zulfiqar Ahmad, Tasawar Abbas, Asma A. Al-Huqail, Manzer H. Siddiqui, Hayssam M. Ali, Irfan Ashraf and Adnan Mustafa
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Muhammad Naveed: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Muhammad Kamran Aslam: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Zulfiqar Ahmad: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Tasawar Abbas: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Asma A. Al-Huqail: Chair of Climate Change, Environmental Development and Vegetation Cover, Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Manzer H. Siddiqui: Chair of Climate Change, Environmental Development and Vegetation Cover, Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Hayssam M. Ali: Chair of Climate Change, Environmental Development and Vegetation Cover, Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Irfan Ashraf: Department of Forestry, Range and Wildlife Management, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Adnan Mustafa: National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Salt accumulation in soils poses severe challenges for crop production in arid and semi-arid regions. Scarcity of rainfall and a high evaporation rate in these regions are considered major reasons for salt accumulation. It drastically reduces the leaching of excessive salts below the root zone of crops. The toxic effects of salts on plants can be greatly reduced with the use of biological and inorganic amendments. The present study was conducted to investigate the positive influence of gypsum (GP), composted cow dung (CCD) and the combined use of gypsum and composted cow dung (GP+CCD) on the growth, seed yield, and physiological and chemical attributes of sunflowers ( Helianthus annuus ) in salty soil conditions. Saline-sodic soil was prepared using salts that include NaCl, Na 2 SO 4 , MgSO 4, and CaCl 2 . It contained three levels of electrical conductivity (EC), i.e., 1.8, 6, and 12 dS m −1 , and had a sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of 15. We noted significant deleterious effects of excessive salt stress on multiple attributes of the growth, produce, physiology, and chemical factors of sunflowers. However, treatment with GP+CCD improved all these attributes in all these conditions over the control treatment. Treatment with GP+CCD also significantly increased N, P and K contents over the control in the absence of salt stress, i.e., normal conditions. Conversely, treatment with GP+CCD caused an extreme decline in antioxidant enzyme activity (APX, GPX, CAT and SOD) and Na + /K + ratio in seeds of up to 90, 75, and 71% over control at an EC level of 1.8, 6, and 12 dS m −1 , respectively. This study suggests the combined application of gypsum and composted cow dung for better production of sunflowers in salt-affected soils, and augmented growth, yield, physiology, biochemistry and nutritional value in the sunflower seeds.

Keywords: salt stress; sodicity; compost; nutrient homeostasis; yield (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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