How Does Quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Respond to Phosphorus Fertilization and Irrigation Water Salinity?

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 2; p. 216
• Main Authors: Bouras, Hamza, Choukr-Allah, Redouane, Amouaouch, Younes, Bouaziz, Ahmed, Devkota, Krishna Prasad, El Mouttaqi, Ayoub, Bouazzama, Bassou, Hirich, Abdelaziz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 14.01.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Abiotic stress; Agricultural production; Arid regions; Arid zones; Biodegradation; Biomass; biomass yield; Chenopodium quinoa; Crop yield; Cytoplasm; Desertification; Electrical conductivity; Electrical resistivity; Fertilization; Fertilizers; Flowers & plants; Food security; Irrigation; Irrigation water; Land degradation; Leaves; Nutrient content; Nutrient uptake; Nutrients; Nutrition; Osmotic stress; Phosphorus; Phosphorus pentoxide; Physiology; Plant growth; Productivity; Quinoa; Saline water; Salinity; Salinity effects; Salt; Sandy loam; Sandy soils; seed yield; Seeds; Semi arid areas; Semiarid lands; Soil salinity; Soil water; Soils; Sustainable development; Variance analysis; Water availability; Water salinity; salinity; biomass yield; seed yield; Chenopodium quinoa; phosphorus
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants11020216

Soil salinity is a major problem in arid and semi-arid regions, causing land degradation, desertification, and subsequently, food insecurity. Salt-affected soils and phosphorus (P) deficiency are the common problems in the sub-Sahara, including the Southern region of Morocco. Soil salinity limits plant growth by limiting water availability, causing a nutritional imbalance, and imparting osmotic stress in the plants. The objective of this study was to determine the positive effects of P on growth and productivity and understand the major leaf mineral nutrient content of quinoa ( Willd.) cv. "ICBA Q5" irrigated with saline water. A field experiment applying three salinity (Electrical Conductivity, EC) levels of irrigation water (ECw = 5, 12, and 17 dS·m ) and three P fertilizer rates (0, 60, and 70 kg of P O ha ) were evaluated in a split-plot design with three replications. The experiment was conducted in Foum El Oued, South of Morocco on sandy loam soil during the period of March-July 2020. The results showed that irrigation with saline water significantly reduced the final dry biomass, seed yield, harvest index, and crop water productivity of quinoa; however, P application under saline conditions minimized the effect of salinity and improved the yield. The application of 60 and 70 kg of P O ha increased ( < 0.05) the seed yield by 29 and 51% at low salinity (5 dS·m ), by 16 and 2% at medium salinity (12 dS·m ), and by 13 and 8% at high salinity (17 dS·m ), respectively. The leaf Na and K content and Na /K ratio increased with irrigation water salinity. However, the leaf content of Mg, Ca, Zn, and Fe decreased under high salinity. It was also found that increasing P fertilization improved the essential nutrient content and nutrient uptake. Our finding suggests that P application minimizes the adverse effects of high soil salinity and can be adopted as a coping strategy under saline conditions.