Abd El-Naby, Zeinab, M1, Nabila, A. Mohamed1 and Kh. A. Shaban( 2013). Estimation of soil Fertility and Yield Productivity of Three Alfalfa
(Medicago sativa L.) Cultivars Under Sahl El-Tina Saline Soils Conditions
Life Science Journal 2013;10 (1)
Abstract: Salt stress is a serious environmental problem throughout the world which may be partially relieved by breeding cultivars that can tolerate salt stress. Three alfalfa cultivars, i.e., Ismaelia, New Valley and Siwa, were sown under three levels of salinity (8.73, 10.63 and 15.31dSm-1). A field experiment was carried out in sandy clay loam soil at North Sinai Governorate during two successive seasons from mid-spring 2011 to late-Autumn 2012. The results of this study indicated that long growing duration of alfalfa cultivars under different soil salinity levels led a slight decrease in soil pH and soil EC. The available macronutrients (N, P and K) and micronutrient (Fe, Mn and Zn) contents accumulated in soil recorded positive increasing effects, depending on the length of alfalfa cultivation period. Evaluation at the germination stage is absolutely critical in developing cultivars that can establish a good stand. Natural selection through frequent cutting and salinity stress is an excellent means to screen large sets of salt tolerant genotypes and get an idea for regrowth potential under high salinity levels. Siwa cultivar was the highest yielding across all seasons and salinity levels; it also recorded the highest mean of total fresh and dry forage yield (53.06 and 12.60 t fed-1, respectively), while New Valley cultivar recorded the lowest means (40.66 and 10.12 t fed-1, respectively) across all
salinity levels. Siwa cultivar was superior over Ismaelia and New Valley in most of the agronomical characters under study. The high level of salinity (EC= 15.31dSm-1) depressed the number of tillers plant-1, fresh and dry forage weight (g) plant-1. New developed alfalfa population (Sinai-1) was the most tolerant and adaptable to saline soils in Sahl El- Tina conditions. [Zeinab M. Abd El-Naby, Nabila, A. Mohamed and Kh. A. Shaban. Estimation of soil Fertility and Yield Productivity of Three Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Cultivars Under Sahl El-Tina Saline Soils Conditions. Life Sci
J 2013;10(1):2082-2095] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 296
Keywords: (Alfalfa, Midicago sativa, soil Salinity, Macronutrients, Micronutrients, Forage, Fresh, Dry yield.)
