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| DOI： |
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| Impact of Alternating Irrigation Using Saline and Fresh Water on Maize Growth and Its Yield |
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ZHENG Junyu, ZHU Chengli, ZHAI Yaming
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College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; Key Laboratory of Efficient Irrigation-drainage and Agricultural Soil-water Environment in Southern China, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210098, China
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| Abstract: |
| This paper investigated the impact of alternating fresh and saline water in irrigation on maize growth and its yield. We took Long Ping NO.206 maize as the model and grew it in a greenhouse. Three alternations were examined: ①Saline water - fresh water - fresh water, ②fresh water - saline water -fresh water, and ③ fresh water - fresh water - saline water. That is, the plants were irrigated with saline water at their seedling stage, jointing stage and the tasseling to milk stage respectively. The salinity of the saline water was 1, 3, 5 g/L. The growth and physiological traits of the plants were measured during their growth period. The results showed that irrigating by saline water with salinity of 1 g/L did not have noticeable impact on maize growth. An increase in salinity, however, could significantly affect the growth and physiological traits of the maize at seedling stage. As the plants grew, difference between the “saline water - fresh water - fresh water” alternation and the CK (fresh water irrigation only) decreased due to the strong compensation of the maize in its early growth stage. The most severe suppression to maize was in the “fresh water - saline water - fresh water” alternation, followed by saline-water irrigation at the seedling stage and the tasseling milk stage. Irrigating with saline water in the tasseling stage had the most severe influence on maize yield, followed by at the jointing and the seedling stages, suggesting that saline-water irrigation at reproductive stage should be avoided. In summary, alternating saline and fresh waters in irrigation can sustain maize yield in coastal farmlands if managed correctly both temporally and spatially. |
| Key words: brackish water; alternate irrigation; maize; pot experiment; coastal area |
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