دراسة أثر رواسب سد صلاح الدين في تحسين كفاءة استفادة نبات الذرة الصفراء(Zea mays L.) من الماء

Abstract

This research aimed to study the effect of treating sandy soil with sediments from the Salah Al-Deen Dam on water conservation and enhancing the water use efficiency of maize (Zea mays L.) cultivated in it. A pot experiment was conducted within a plastic greenhouse in the village of Saqobayn, Latakia Governorate, during the 2020-2021 and 2022-2023 growing seasons.The experiment was implemented according to a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The pot experiment was carried out using 8 kg pots after sieving the soil through a 2 mm sieve. The soil was treated with the sieved dam sediments at the following levels: 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% by weight. Each treatment was replicated three times under two irrigation levels: 80% and 100% of field capacity.The following morphological, physiological, and water-related traits were studied: plant height (cm), total leaf area (cm²/plant), dry weight of shoots (g), dry weight of roots (g), shoot-to-root dry weight ratio, ear weight (g), and water consumption equivalent.The results of the experiment showed a clear response to the addition of dam sediments to the sandy soil. The incremental additions of sediments resulted in a significant and clear increase in the studied plant indices. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed within the same treatment between the two irrigation levels. Also, no significant differences were observed between the control treatment and the mineral fertilizer treatment. The amount of water consumed to produce 1 kg of maize was 82.80 liters in the control treatments at both 80% and 100% irrigation levels. In contrast, the amount of water required to produce the same weight in the soil treatments with sediments at levels of 10%, 20%, and 30% was 42, 52, and 66 liters, respectively. This indicates a substantial saving in irrigation water quantities.