Sustainable production of Kochia indica grown in saline habitat

Biosaline agriculture is considered as unconventional approach for sustainable use of marginal soil (salt affected soils with poor drainage) and salt affected irrigation water. These can be used for planting non-traditional crops such as halophytic plants to overcome the serious shortage of fresh water and conventional soil. To achieve the aforementioned objectives, two field experiments were carried around Qaroon lake, Fayum Governorate, Egypt at the two successive summer season of 2011 - 2012 to study the effect of foliar application of zinc, potassium or ascorbic acid in addition to fresh water as control on vegetative growth and some physiochemical parameters of Kochia indica grown under diluted saline water (Fresh water, 25% and 50%) from Qaroon Lake. Irrigation with 25% dilution significantly increased plant growth compared to fresh water irrigation. Raising irrigation salinity levels up to 50% significantly increase the content of chlorophyll a+b, proline, soluble carbohydrates and osmotic potential values compared to fresh water. On the other hand, the same treatment decreased the content of potassium and zinc in the shoot of K inica plant. However moderate saline irrigation i.e. 25 % generally increased crude protein content. All foliar spraying treatments significantly increased plant height, number of branched/plant, leaf area, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, chlorophyll a+b, crude protein, potassium and zinc as well as (salinity tolerance index) STI and succulence values as compared with control plants. On the other hand, foliar treatments decreased the content of soluble carbohydrates, proline and osmotic potential values. As for the interaction effect of between saline irrigation and foliar treatments, data show that the highest content of crude proten % and photosynthetic pigments were recorded in Kochia indica plants sprayed with 2% KNO3 and irrigated with 25% Lake water, meanwhile plants sprayed with 300 ppm Zn-EDTA and irrigated with fresh water produced the highest zinc content. Furthermore, plants sprayed with fresh water and irrigated with 50% Lake water produced the highest content of soluble carbohydrates and proline as well as succulence and osmotic potential values. In conclusion, Foliar application with potassium surpasses all the other treatments especially under high levels of saline irrigation.