The effect of zeolite, selenium and silicon on qualitative and quantitative traits of onion grown under salinity conditions

ABSTRACT

Considering the importance of onion and its cultivation in saline soils, a two-year experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of soil applied zeolite and foliar application of selenium (Se) and silicon (Si) on onion yield, qualitative traits and physiological attributes, under salinity stress. An experiment was performed at three-way factorial design with three replications as follows: zeolite at three levels (0, 4 and 8 ton ha-1), Se at three levels (0, 0.5 and 1 kg ha-1) and Si at three levels (0, 200 and 400 kg ha-1). The results indicated that the effect of year was significant on all studied traits except for soluble solids, bulb nitrogen, leaf sodium and potassium, chlorophyll content and peroxidase activity. Number of small-sized bulbs decreased with increasing zeolite, Se and Si application. Dry matter, soluble solids, nitrogen content, nitrate concentration as well as protein content significantly increased due to zeolite, Se and Si application. Leaf sodium content and enzyme activity decreased due to zeolite, Se and Si application. Overall, 8 ton ha-1 zeolite along with 1 kg ha-1 Se and 400 kg ha-1 Si caused the maximum onion yield and qualitative and physiologic traits including soluble solids, potassium, protein, chlorophyll and photosynthesis .

KEYWORDS:

• Allium cepa
• soil amendment
• trace elements osmotic stress

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.