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ALLEVIATION OF THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF SALT STRESS ON RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.) BY PHOSPHORUS APPLIED THROUGH ROOTING MEDIUM: GROWTH AND GAS EXCHANGE CHARACTERISTICS

G. NAHEED¹, *M. SHAHBAZ^1,C, A. LATIF² AND E.S. RHA³

Abstract: A pot experiment was conducted to assess the effect of phosphorus on growth and gas exchange of rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown under salt stress. Three levels of phosphorus (control, 30 and 60 mg kg^-1 of phosphorus) and four treatments of salinity (0, 20, 40 and 60 mmol kg^-1 of NaCl) were applied through rooting medium. Shoot biomass, shoot length and gas exchange characteristics decreased with increase in salinity. In addition, application of P also decreased the growth of rice. Photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance were significantly reduced under saline conditions, while with the addition of phosphorus in the rooting medium more reduction was observed. However, there was no change in sub-stomatal CO₂ concentration and Ci/Ca ratio with increase in rooting medium salinity or addition of phosphorus in both saline and non-saline media.

¹Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan

²Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad, Pakistan

³College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 540-742, South Korea