THE GROWTH AND MINERAL COMPOSITION OF HATAMY DATE PALM SEEDLINGS AS AFFECTED BY SEA WATER AND GROWTH REGULATORS

Salinity stress is known to retard plant growth through its influence on vital facets of plant metabolism, including disturbing the concentration of endogenous plant hormones.
This disturbance can affect the growth and development of plants.
It may be possible to improve the endogenous hormone balance by applying exogenous hormone.
The application of NAA in combination with salts reduced accumulation of Na, Cl in leaves.
An experiment was conducted at the Research Station of Qatar University to study the effect of IAA, NAA, and a mixture of IAA and NAA and different concentrations of sea water alone or in combination with growth regulators on properties and mineral contents of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L., cv.
Hatamy) seedlings.
Salinity in irrigation water reduced leaf and root Mn, Zu, Fe and leaf K, Ca, Mg concentrations and the ratio of K/Na and Mg/Ca, but increased leaf N and leaf and root P, Cu, Na and Cl concentrations, compared with untreated seedlings.
Compared to sea water alone, the irrigation of Hatamy seedlings with naphthalene acetic acid in combination with sea water, reduced the adverse effects of salt by reducing Na accumulation in the leaves and roots and Cl in the leaves and the ratio of Mg/Ca in leaves and roots and increasing the N, P and Fe concentrations, the ratio of K/Na in the leaves and roots, and Ca, Mg levels in the roots, number of roots and shoot dry matter percentage of seedlings over the using sea water alone.

III International Date Palm Conference

H.J. Aljuburi, A. Maroff

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.736.13