The Integrated Application of Phosphorous and Zinc Affects the Physiological Status, Yield and Quality of Canola Grown in Phosphorus-suffered Deficiency Saline Soil

Abstract

Abstract Despite the soil could contain high amount of phosphorus (P), salinity reduce its availability for crop plants. Hence, farmers should practice several tactics to ameliorate P deficiency in soils. The current study aimed to assess the importance of zinc (Zn) supply for mitigating the deficiency of P for canola grown in saline soil. The effects of three Zn rates (0, 150 and 300 mg L −1 , Zn 0 , Zn 150 and Zn 300 , respectively) under three P rates (0, 36 and 72 kg P 2 O 5 ha −1 , P 0 , P 36 , and P 72 , respectively) on physiological status, yield and quality of canola were measured. Treatments were arranged in the strip plot design based on completely randomized blocks with three replicates. Findings exhibited that P 36 recorded the highest values of membrane stability index in the 2nd season, while statistically leveled P 72 for relative water content and chlorophyll fluorescence in both seasons. Zn 300 exhibited potent effect on all canola physiological traits in both seasons. In both seasons, P 36 × Zn 300 , P 72 × Zn 150 and P 72 × Zn 300 showed the maximum chlorophyll fluorescence and performance index values. Plots treated with P 72 achieved 70.0% increase in canola seed yield, greater than the untreated ones. Seed yield obtained with Zn 300 were higher than Zn 0 and Zn 150 by1.30 and 1.10 times in 2019/20 season and 1.23 and 1.05 times in 2020/21 season. The highest oil % was recorded with P 0 × Zn 150 and P 72 × Zn 0 in the 1st season and with P 72 × Zn 150 in the 2nd season.