Table 1.
Soil chemical properties at the harvest of wheat plants irrigated with (50%, 70%, and 90% depletion of available soil moisture (DAM)) in saline sodic soil treated by salicylic acid and biochar during two growing seasons.
| Year | Treatments (Ts) | pH ¥ | EC § | ESP # | Na+¤ | K+ | Ca2+ | Mg2+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Ts | Soil and Foliar Ts | (dS m−1) | (%) | (meq L−1) | (meq L−1) | (meq L−1) | (meq L−1) | ||
| 2018/2019 | 50% DAM | Control | 8.03 ±0.00gh |
3.57 ±0.03ef |
11.03 ±0.22ef |
16.77 ±0.85ef |
0.42 ±0.02cd |
14.88 ±0.05d |
6.90 ±0.04d |
| SA † | 8.04 ±0.01h |
3.55 ±0.06fg |
10.97 ±0.12fg |
15.92 ±1.05fg |
0.43 ±0.05c |
15.10 ±0.09cd |
7.09 ±0.03cd |
||
| BC ‡ | 8.00 ±0.01i |
3.20 ±0.04g |
8.01 ±0.33g |
12.84 ±0.02g |
0.46 ±0.04b |
17.49 ±0.18b |
7.28 ±0.02b |
||
| SA+BC | 7.98 ±0.01j |
3.04 ±0.08h |
7.54 ±0.11h |
10.24 ±0.11h |
0.48 ±0.03a |
19.32 ±0.22a |
7.41 ±0.01a |
||
| 70% DAM | Control | 8.10 ±0.03cd |
3.95 ±0.07c |
15.23 ±0.36c |
20.55 ±1.08c |
0.37 ±0.00ef |
10.57 ±0.15fg |
6.69 ±0.09fg |
|
| SA | 8.08 ±0.03e |
3.88 ±0.04d |
15.05 ±0.35d |
19.78 ±1.07d |
0.38 ±0.01e |
10.95 ±0.18f |
6.72 ±0.06f |
||
| BC | 8.05 ±0.02f |
3.64 ±0.05e |
12.87 ±0.24e |
17.23 ±0.99e |
0.41 ±0.82d |
13.45 ±0.08de |
6.97 ±0.05de |
||
| SA+BC | 8.02 ±0.01g |
3.52 ±0.02f |
10.91 ±0.15f |
16.07 ±0.87f |
0.43 ±0.03c |
15.85 ±0.07c |
7.02 ±0.08c |
||
| 90% DAM | Control | 8.17 ±0.02a |
4.74 ±0.06a |
22.93 ±0.23a |
27.44 ±0.98a |
0.33 ±0.02hi |
6.80 ±0.12hi |
6.08 ±0.02hi |
|
| SA † | 8.16 ±0.02b |
4.68 ±0.05ab |
21.49 ±0.35ab |
26.64 ±0.88ab |
0.34 ±0.01h |
7.08 ±0.18h |
6.19 ±0.03h |
||
| BC ‡ | 8.11 ±0.01c |
4.15 ±0.03b |
17.92 ±0.24b |
21.84 ±0.75b |
0.36 ±0.03g |
9.16 ±0.23g |
6.54 ±0.08g |
||
| SA+BC | 8.09 ± 0.02d |
3.89 ±0.08cd |
15.19 ±0.15cd |
19.94 ±1.05cd |
0.38 ±0.02f |
11.24 ±0.25e |
6.72 ±0.07e |
||
| 2019/2020 | 50% DAM | Control | 8.01 ±0.00gh |
3.54 ±0.03ef |
10.99 ±0.22ef |
16.72 ±0.85ef |
0.44 ±0.02cd |
14.94 ±0.05d |
6.96 ±0.04d |
| SA † | 8.02 ±0.01h |
3.52 ±0.06fg |
10.93 ±0.12fg |
15.87 ±1.05fg |
0.45 ±0.05c |
15.16 ±0.09cd |
7.15 ±0.03cd |
||
| BC ‡ | 7.98 ±0.01i |
3.17 ±0.04g |
7.97 ±0.33g |
12.79 ±0.02g |
0.48 ±0.04b |
17.55 ±0.18b |
7.34 ±0.02b |
||
| SA+BC | 7.87 ±0.01j |
3.01 ±0.08h |
7.50 ±0.11h |
10.19 ±0.11h |
0.50 ±0.03a |
19.38 ±0.22a |
7.47 ±0.01a |
||
| 70% DAM | Control | 8.08 ±0.03cd |
3.92 ±0.07c |
15.19 ±0.36c |
20.50 ±1.08c |
0.39 ±0.00ef |
10.63 ±0.15fg |
6.75 ±0.09fg |
|
| SA | 8.06 ±0.03e |
3.85 ±0.04d |
15.01 ±0.35d |
19.73 ±1.07d |
0.40 ±0.01e |
11.01 ±0.18f |
6.78 ±0.06f |
||
| BC | 8.03 ±0.02f |
3.61 ±0.05e |
12.83 ±0.24e |
17.17 ±0.99e |
0.43 ±0.82d |
13.51 ±0.08de |
7.03 ±0.05de |
||
| SA+BC | 8.00 ±0.01g |
3.49 ±0.02f |
10.87 ±0.15f |
16.02 ±0.87f |
0.45 ±0.03c |
15.91 ±0.07c |
7.08 ±0.08c |
||
| 90% DAM | Control | 8.15 ±0.02a |
4.71 ±0.06a |
22.89 ±0.23a |
27.39 ±0.98a |
0.35 ±0.02hi |
6.86 ±0.12hi |
6.14 ±0.02hi |
|
| SA † | 8.14 ±0.02b |
4.65 ±0.05ab |
21.45 ±0.35ab |
26.59 ±0.88ab |
0.36 ±0.01h |
7.14 ±0.18h |
6.25 ±0.03h |
||
| BC ‡ | 8.09 ±0.01c |
4.12 ±0.03b |
17.88 ±0.24b |
21.79 ±0.75b |
0.38 ±0.03g |
9.22 ±0.23g |
6.60 ±0.08g |
||
| SA+BC | 8.07 ±0.02d |
3.86 ±0.08cd |
15.15 ±0.15cd |
19.89 ±1.05cd |
0.40 ±0.02f |
11.30 ±0.25e |
6.78 ±0.07e |
||
| F-test | |||||||||
| W | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | ||
| SF | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | ||
| W × SF | *** | *** | *** | ns | ns | ns | *** | ||
¥ pH is measured in soil:distilled water suspension at 1:2.5 ratio. Water treatments (W); soil and foliar treatments (SF). § EC (electrical conductivity) is measured in soil:distilled water extract of 1:5. # ESP (exchangeable sodium percentage). Depletion of available moisture (DAM). Ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) are measured in soil:distilled water extract of 1:5. † Salicylic acid (SA) is added at the rate of 192 g ha−1; ‡ Biochar (BC) is added at the rate of 10 t ha−1. Means of the same growing season designated with different letters indicate significant differences among treatments according to the Tukey’s test (P < 0.05). Values are means ± standard deviation (SD) from three replicates (Means ± SD). *** and ns denote significance at P < 0.001 and non-significant.