Table 3.
Physiological properties of wheat plants irrigated with (50%, 70%, and 90% DAM) in saline sodic soil treated by salicylic acid and biochar during two growing seasons.
| Year | Water Treatments | Soil and Foliar Treatments | Chlorophyll a (mg g−1 FW) |
Chlorophyll b (mg g−1 FW) |
Proline (µ mol g−1 FW) |
RWC #
(%) |
EL ¥
(%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/2019 | 50% DAM | Control | 1.32 ± 0.02c | 0.55 ± 0.03cd | 7.44 ± 0.03e | 88.55 ± 1.54de | 19.25 ± 1.18h |
| SA † | 1.52 ± 0.05b | 0.67 ± 0.04b | 7.28 ± 0.02fg | 93.25 ± 1.74b | 15.48 ± 1.02k | ||
| BC ‡ | 1.48 ± 0.04bc | 0.64 ± 0.04bc | 7.36 ± 0.03f | 91.05 ± 1.65c | 16.65 ± 1.05j | ||
| SA + BC | 1.68 ± 0.03a | 0.76 ± 0.04a | 7.17 ± 0.01h | 94.98 ± 1.85a | 13.47 ± 1.22l | ||
| 70% DAM | Control | 1.13 ± 0.01g | 0.37 ± 0.00ef | 8.54 ± 0.02c | 82.95 ± 1.48gh | 27.14 ± 1.12e | |
| SA | 1.26 ± 0.03e | 0.51 ± 0.02d | 7.55 ± 0.01de | 87.47 ± 1.95e | 20.65 ± 1.13g | ||
| BC | 1.23 ± 0.02f | 0.48 ± 0.01de | 8.12 ± 0.01d | 85.58 ± 1.65f | 21.89 ± 1.15f | ||
| SA + BC | 1.37 ± 0.02d | 0.58 ± 0.03c | 7.35 ± 0.00ef | 89.09 ± 1.14d | 17.48 ± 1.16i | ||
| 90% DAM | Control | 1.01 ± 0.02k | 0.24 ± 0.00h | 12.47 ± 0.01a | 75.42 ± 1.58j | 45.63 ± 1.02a | |
| SA | 1.09 ± 0.03i | 0.34 ± 0.01f | 9.32 ± 0.03bc | 80.85 ± 1.36h | 32.74 ± 1.05c | ||
| BC | 1.05 ± 0.01j | 0.31 ± 0.01g | 9.45 ± 0.02b | 78.06 ± 1.47i | 36.55 ± 1.09b | ||
| SA + BC | 1.18 ± 0.01h | 0.39 ± 0.02e | 8.45 ± 0.02cd | 84.25 ± 1.65g | 25.83 ± 1.08d | ||
| 2019/2020 | 50% DAM | Control | 1.43 ± 0.01d | 0.69 ± 0.04c | 7.23 ± 0.04e | 85.01 ± 1.95de | 20.69 ± 1.05h |
| SA † | 1.55 ± 0.05b | 0.81 ± 0.03ab | 6.65 ± 0.02g | 88.36 ± 1.45b | 16.58 ± 1.07k | ||
| BC ‡ | 1.51 ± 0.03bc | 0.78 ± 0.04b | 6.87 ± 0.03f | 85.97 ± 1.65c | 17.74 ± 1.13j | ||
| SA + BC | 1.63 ± 0.05a | 0.93 ± 0.02a | 6.14 ± 0.01h | 91.66 ± 1.53a | 14.98 ± 1.11l | ||
| 70% DAM | Control | 1.23 ± 0.03gh | 0.46 ± 0.03f | 8.42 ± 0.02c | 80.22 ± 1.12g | 28.74 ± 1.12e | |
| SA | 1.36 ± 0.02e | 0.64 ± 0.04d | 7.78 ± 0.01de | 84.12 ± 1.14e | 21.45 ± 1.15g | ||
| BC | 1.31 ± 0.03f | 0.59 ± 0.03e | 8.07 ± 0.02d | 82.05 ± 1.85f | 22.63 ± 1.14f | ||
| SA + BC | 1.48 ± 0.02c | 0.71 ± 0.04cd | 7.02 ± 0.02ef | 86.47 ± 1.75d | 18.21 ± 1.10i | ||
| 90% DAM | Control | 1.05 ± 0.01j | 0.28 ± 0.01i | 12.42 ± 0.03a | 76.25 ± 1.74j | 46.21 ± 1.09a | |
| SA | 1.22 ± 0.02h | 0.40 ± 0.02h | 9.36 ± 0.04bc | 79.23 ± 1.85h | 33.75 ± 1.08c | ||
| BC | 1.14 ± 0.02i | 0.37 ± 0.01hi | 9.44 ± 0.03b | 77.05 ± 1.96i | 37.22 ± 1.05b | ||
| SA + BC | 1.28 ± 0.03g | 0.49 ± 0.01g | 8.22 ± 0.04cd | 82.66 ± 1.32fg | 26.45 ± 1.11d | ||
| F-test | |||||||
| W | *** | *** | *** | *** | ** | ||
| SF | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | ||
| W × SF | *** | *** | *** | *** | ns | ||
# Relative water content; ¥ electrolyte leakage. Depletion of available moisture (DAM). Water treatments (W); soil and foliar treatments (SF). † 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, P < 0.01, and non-significant, respectively.