Suitable management options to improve the productivity of rice cultivars under salinity stress

Abstract

Growing rice in saline soils by minimizing damage on growth and yield remains a challenge. We conducted field experiments in the Africa Rice research field located in the Senegal River delta (16°11ʹ N, 16°15ʹ W) to study the effects of three management options of fertilization e.g. (i) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilization: NPK; (ii) NPK combined with zinc: NPK-Zn, and (iii) NPK combined with gypsum: NPKgypsum on the soil salinity level, the nutrient uptake and the productivity of different rice cultivars. The whole objective of this study is to determine how zinc or gypsum associated to NPK fertilizer can improve the growth and productivity of rice crop in saline soil. Results showed that the initial soil salinity level was reduced rapidly in plots treated with gypsum. The leaf-K/Na ratio, agronomic nitrogen use efficiency (ANUE), and grain yield of rice cultivars under the salinity stress were improved by the NPK-gypsum and NPK-Zn options relatively to the NPK option, suggesting that NPK-gypsum and NPK-Zn are suitable management options in reducing adverse effect of low K/Na, low ANUE as well as to improve rice yield under salinity stress.

Response of Seventeen Advance Rice Lines to Salinity and Sodicity

“…At the same time, an inverse trend was noted for K because maximum leaves K was accumulated by SRI-23 and minimum K was observed in the leaves of SRI-38. It has been reported that excessive sodium is metabolically toxic to plants and affects the survival and growth of rice plants which decreased grain yield and productive tillers (Mel et al, 2018). In the salinized environment, high uptake of K and low Na is positively correlated to salinity tolerance.…”

“…In the salinized environment, high uptake of K and low Na is positively correlated to salinity tolerance. Preferential uptake of K over Na among the different genotypes is useful salinity tolerance criteria (Mel et al, 2018). K worked as a co-factor for more than 50 enzymes that may be susceptible to high Na (Munns and Tester, 2008).…”

Predicting Rice Yield Under Salinity Stress Using K/Na Ratio Variable in Plant Tissue

“…One of the mechanisms of plant growth inhibition by salinity stress is an injury to cells caused by ion toxicity and nutritional imbalance. It is reported that excessive sodium (Na) uptake to the detriment of potassium (K) uptake may affect the growth and the survival of plants (Mel et al 2018); therefore; we focused on the ratio of the concentration of K to the concentration Na in plant leaf (leaf-K/Na) and attempted to explain relative yield as a function of this parameter.…”