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GROWTH ANALYSIS OF KOCHIA (KOCHIA SCOPARIA (L.) SCHRAD) IRRIGATED WITH SALINE WATER IN SUMMER CROPPING

MASOUME SALEHI¹, MOHAMMAD KAFI^1* AND ALIREZA KIANI²

Abstract: Kochia species has recently attracted the attention of researchers as a forage and fodder crop in marginal lands worldwide. Kochia is drought and salt tolerant and native to Iran. This plant has a potential to grow in saline soils and it can be irrigated with brackish water. To evaluate how salinity stress affects growth parameters, an experiment was conducted wherein plants of Kochia scoparia were exposed to six levels of saline waters (1.5, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 dS/m). The function method was used for evaluating growth parameters. The results showed that all growth parameters decreased with increasing salinity higher than 7 dS/m. Kochia scoparia is a meso-halophyte, thus low salt stress (7 dS/m) improved its dry matter production and leaf area index (LAI). Stem dry weight (SDW) and plant dry weight (PDW) decreased significantly under salt stress, but the salt induced reduction in plant dry weight (PDW) was more than that in the former growth attribute. However, while salt stress improved leaf weight ratio (LWR) in K. scoparia. Salinity affected Kochia leaf morphology and increased leaf thickness. Fifty percent yield reduction occurred at 38.8 dS/m salinity. In view of the growth performance of this species under saline conditions, this plant shows a high potential to sustain under irrigation with saline water in summer when good quality water is usually scarce.

¹Department of Agronomy, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

²Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Golestan province, Iran