Improving Maize Tolerance to Salinity and Low Available Phosphorus Situation by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Potassium Silicate

AbdEL-Azeiz, Eman Hamdy; Faiyad, Riham Mohamed Naguib

doi:10.21608/ejss.2025.395769.2213

Improving Maize Tolerance to Salinity and Low Available Phosphorus Situation by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Potassium Silicate

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ assistant prof. of Soil fertility and plant nutrition department, soils, water and environment research institute.(ARC) Giza, EgyptResearch Center, Giza, Egypt

² assistant prof. of Soil fertility and plant nutrition department, soils, water and environment research institute. Giza.

10.21608/ejss.2025.395769.2213

Abstract

Salinity and low phosphorus availability have a detrimental effect on crop plants' growth and yield by restricting their physiological functions as abiotic stress situation. In accordance with the state's directives for sustainable agricultural development aimed at enhancing soil health and augmenting crop productivity while safeguarding the environment and human health, we have investigated the optimization of maize productivity, a vital oil and strategic crop, under abiotic stress conditions utilizing two ecologically sound methods: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and potassium silicate (KS). Field experiments were carried out over the course of two growing seasons (2023–2024) to examine the impact of AMF and KS treatments on fodder maize growth and productivity in salt affected soil with low available phosphorus. Four treatments of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation with different rates of phosphorus fertilizer [100% Phosphorus fertilizer recommended dose (74.4 kg P2O5 ha-1) (100%PRD)(as control), 75%PRD+AMF, 50%PRD+AMF, and 0%PRD+AMF] were used as the main plots and three treatments of potassium silicate foliar application [without foliar application (KS0), 3ml l.-1 (KS1), and 6ml l-1 (KS2)] were used as the sub plots.

Data showed that AMF generally works to mitigate the negative effects of salinity and soil-available phosphorus deficiency which results in increased yield productivity and high quality when compared to the control. The application of (75%PRD+AMF) produced the greatest values of all measured parameters in both vegetative and harvest periods. The treatment (75%PRD+AMF) application improved values of chl. a, chl. b, yield, protein and oil content of mature grains in the two growing respective seasons.

Foliage potassium silicate (KS) application at varied rates has a significant impact on all parameters under consideration. The better foliage was 6ml l-1 (KS2) in contrast to the treatment KS0. Potassium silicate foliar application at 6ml.l-1 enhanced chl. a and chl. b as well as grain yield and its quality in the two consecutive growing seasons when compared to KS0. In general, the combination of 75%PRD+AMF application and KS foliar application at 6ml.l-1 concentration reduces the negative effects of salinity on maize under low available phosphorus soil conditions.

In terms of soil, the combination of 75%PRD+AMF treatment and KS0 foliage resulted in the highest value of available phosphorus nutrient in the soil after harvest. While, the highest AMF spore’s density per 100 grams of soil was achieved with the lowest phosphorus rate application (50%PRD) comparing with control (100% PRD).

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