JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

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The effect of soil salinity on plant growth is due to two factors, namely, increase in osmotic pressure of soil solution and the ionic composition of salt. The present experiment was conducted to obtain information about the response of pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) to salinity and ionic composition of the salt. Salinity with different relative composition of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate were applied to two pistachio cultivars, Fandoghi and Badami. Yield (dry matter of leaf and shoots produced in each pot) of plants were compared by the analysis of variances method of F and Duncan tests.

The yields of the cultivars were significantly different (P≤0.01) with Fandoghi cultivar producing less shoots and leaf and, consequently, lower total dry matter. Increasing the salinity level decreased the plant growth. Leaves were more sensitive to salinity. Increasing the ratio of sulfate salt alleviated the depressive effect of salinity such that when salinity was 100% sodium sulfate, the dry matter yield of shoots was 1.5 times and that of leaf was 1.7 times higher compared to the treatment where salinity was 100% sodium chloride. Leaf was more sensitive than shoots and, therefore, it showed a more positive response to chloride decreasing.

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Chlorine and sulfate toxicity in water and soils are the main factors limiting growth and yield of most plants. Tolerance and sensitive indexes related to Cl and SO4 in irrigation water and effect of nitrogen fertilizer on barley were evaluated in a completely randomized design with three replications, under greenhouse conditions. Quantity salinity tolerance and susceptibility indices such as Mean Productivity (MP), Tolerance Index (TOL), Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP), Stress Susceptibility Index (SSI), Reduction Yield Ratio (Yr) and Stress Tolerance Index (STI) on the basis of plant yield with stress (Ys) and without stress (Yp) conditions were determined. Results showed that STI had a positive and highest significant correlation with grain and straw yields, compared to other indexes. Study of Standard Beta contents in grain and straw with STI index showed that the impact of Cl had a greater effect on reduction of salinity tolerance than SO4. Also Cl/SO4 ratios of 1:3 and 1:2 for grain and 1:2 and 1:1 for plant straw brought about highest tolerance to salinity, compared to non stress conditions. The scatter plot also confirmed such findings.