Impact of Saline Water Irrigation on Soil Salinity, Growth, and Productivity of Triticale in Sandy Soil

Salinity and water scarcity are among the major environmental challenges requiring the use of non-conventional water sources and the adoption of salt-tolerant crops. We assessed the impact of irrigation with different concentrations of NaCl: 50 mM and 150 mM on the growth parameters and yield of tri...

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Main Authors: Hassan M. Abd El Baki, Haruyuki Fujimaki, Kristina Toderich, Jean Bosco Nana, Asad S. Qureshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Soil Systems
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/9/2/28
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author Hassan M. Abd El Baki
Haruyuki Fujimaki
Kristina Toderich
Jean Bosco Nana
Asad S. Qureshi
author_facet Hassan M. Abd El Baki
Haruyuki Fujimaki
Kristina Toderich
Jean Bosco Nana
Asad S. Qureshi
author_sort Hassan M. Abd El Baki
collection DOAJ
description Salinity and water scarcity are among the major environmental challenges requiring the use of non-conventional water sources and the adoption of salt-tolerant crops. We assessed the impact of irrigation with different concentrations of NaCl: 50 mM and 150 mM on the growth parameters and yield of triticale, soil salinity, distribution of active root density, and concentrations of Na<sup>+</sup> and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> ions at harvest compared to freshwater under zero leaching conditions. Irrigation was applied on a daily basis based on weight measurements of micro-lysimeter pots. Growth parameters, including plant height, LAI, number of leaves, number of tillers, and soil salinity, were observed across the growing season. Spatial distributions of soil salinity, normalized root length density (NRLD), concentrations of Na<sup>+</sup> and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> in soil profile were measured in two dimensions. The results indicate that irrigating with 150 mM of NaCl H<sub>2</sub>O significantly affected the crop growth, causing salts, particularly Na<sup>+</sup>, to reside in the topsoil, reducing NRLD with soil depth, crop water demand, and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> uptake. The application of 150 mM and 50 mM of NaCl H<sub>2</sub>O reduced crop water use by 4 and 2.6 times as well as grain yield by 97% and 42%, respectively, compared to freshwater. This shows that irrigation with concentration equal to or higher than 150 mM NaCl will result in very low production. To achieve higher yield and crop water productivity, irrigation with NaCl concentration of 50 mM or less is recommended to grow triticale in marginal regions with limited freshwater resources.
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spelling doaj-art-ca5129e43c6147e4aa88b77f5848f6aa2025-08-20T02:21:50ZengMDPI AGSoil Systems2571-87892025-03-01922810.3390/soilsystems9020028Impact of Saline Water Irrigation on Soil Salinity, Growth, and Productivity of Triticale in Sandy SoilHassan M. Abd El Baki0Haruyuki Fujimaki1Kristina Toderich2Jean Bosco Nana3Asad S. Qureshi4International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), Dubai P.O. Box 14660, United Arab EmiratesArid Land Research Center (ALRC), Tottori University, Tottori 680-0001, JapanGraduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, 1577 Kurimamachiya, Tsu 514-8507, JapanInstitute of Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA), 1973 Boulevard Tansoba Wam-Godi, Ouagadougou 04 BP 8645, Burkina FasoInternational Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), Dubai P.O. Box 14660, United Arab EmiratesSalinity and water scarcity are among the major environmental challenges requiring the use of non-conventional water sources and the adoption of salt-tolerant crops. We assessed the impact of irrigation with different concentrations of NaCl: 50 mM and 150 mM on the growth parameters and yield of triticale, soil salinity, distribution of active root density, and concentrations of Na<sup>+</sup> and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> ions at harvest compared to freshwater under zero leaching conditions. Irrigation was applied on a daily basis based on weight measurements of micro-lysimeter pots. Growth parameters, including plant height, LAI, number of leaves, number of tillers, and soil salinity, were observed across the growing season. Spatial distributions of soil salinity, normalized root length density (NRLD), concentrations of Na<sup>+</sup> and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> in soil profile were measured in two dimensions. The results indicate that irrigating with 150 mM of NaCl H<sub>2</sub>O significantly affected the crop growth, causing salts, particularly Na<sup>+</sup>, to reside in the topsoil, reducing NRLD with soil depth, crop water demand, and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> uptake. The application of 150 mM and 50 mM of NaCl H<sub>2</sub>O reduced crop water use by 4 and 2.6 times as well as grain yield by 97% and 42%, respectively, compared to freshwater. This shows that irrigation with concentration equal to or higher than 150 mM NaCl will result in very low production. To achieve higher yield and crop water productivity, irrigation with NaCl concentration of 50 mM or less is recommended to grow triticale in marginal regions with limited freshwater resources.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/9/2/28salinityscarcitybrackisharidmarginalevapotranspiration
spellingShingle Hassan M. Abd El Baki
Haruyuki Fujimaki
Kristina Toderich
Jean Bosco Nana
Asad S. Qureshi
Impact of Saline Water Irrigation on Soil Salinity, Growth, and Productivity of Triticale in Sandy Soil
Soil Systems
salinity
scarcity
brackish
arid
marginal
evapotranspiration
title Impact of Saline Water Irrigation on Soil Salinity, Growth, and Productivity of Triticale in Sandy Soil
title_full Impact of Saline Water Irrigation on Soil Salinity, Growth, and Productivity of Triticale in Sandy Soil
title_fullStr Impact of Saline Water Irrigation on Soil Salinity, Growth, and Productivity of Triticale in Sandy Soil
title_full_unstemmed Impact of Saline Water Irrigation on Soil Salinity, Growth, and Productivity of Triticale in Sandy Soil
title_short Impact of Saline Water Irrigation on Soil Salinity, Growth, and Productivity of Triticale in Sandy Soil
title_sort impact of saline water irrigation on soil salinity growth and productivity of triticale in sandy soil
topic salinity
scarcity
brackish
arid
marginal
evapotranspiration
url https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/9/2/28
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AT kristinatoderich impactofsalinewaterirrigationonsoilsalinitygrowthandproductivityoftriticaleinsandysoil
AT jeanbosconana impactofsalinewaterirrigationonsoilsalinitygrowthandproductivityoftriticaleinsandysoil
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