Bangladesh Agron. J. 2017, 20 (1): 31-36 APPLICATION OF ASH FOR AMELIORATION OF SALINITY EFFECT IN RICE A. H. F. Fahim1*, M. A. Kader2, M. S. Nahar1 , M. A. Wadud1 and M. A. Islam3 1Scientific officer, Spices Research Centre, BARI, Shibganj, Bogra, Bangladesh. 2Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. 3Senior Scientific officer, Spices Research Centre, BARI, Shibganj, Bogra, Bangladesh. *Corresponding author, E-mail: fahimkbd@gmail.com Keywords: Salinity, ash, stress, rice, BRRI dhan47 Abstract Agricultural land use in coastal area covers 53% and the lands are mostly affected by salinity. Besides, the average yield of rice in these areas is very low due to salinity. Although, BRRI has developed salt registrant rice varieties, the average production can be improved through soil management. Thus, a pot experiment was conducted in the net house of Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, during March to August 2010 to investigate the ameliorative effect of ash application on yield and yield attributes of rice under various salinity levels. Rice var. BRRI dhan47 (a salt tolerant variety) was used in the experiment. The sodium chloride induced salinity levels were 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mM NaCl and the levels of ash applied were 1.5, 3, 4.5 and 6 t ha-1. Results revealed that the different levels of salinity had significant adverse effect on plant height, tillers hill-1, panicle hill-1, grains panicle-1, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, biological yield and harvest index. All the plants eventually died when they were exposed to salinity level of 40 mM NaCl or more and could not survive up to maturity. Application of ash enhanced the yield attributes and yield of rice under different salinity levels compared to those without ash. It was concluded that application of ash at the rate of 6 t ha-1 ameliorated the salinity stress effect on rice yield of BRRI dhan47. Introduction In Bangladesh, over 30% of the net cultivable area lies in the coastal area (Rasel et al, 2013). Out of 2.85 million hectare of coastal and off shore areas, about 0.833 million hectares are arable lands, which constitute about 52.8 % of the net cultivable area in 64 Upzilla of 13 districts (Rasel et al, 2013). This area is largely affected by varying degrees of soil salinity. Agricultural land uses in these areas are very poor and cropping intensity is very low. Salinity largely reduces the yield of rice in the coastal areas of the country mainly in Khulna, Patuakhali, Noakhali and Chittagong districts and in the Island of Bay of Bengal like Bhola, Hatiya and Sandwip (Brammer, 1971). Salinity level of 4 dsm-1 is considered as critical level for rice. However, rice exhibits considerable intra-specific variability in resistance to salinity (Flowers and Yeo, 1981; Maiti et al., 2008). Application of ash to the soil brought about linear increases in soil aeration, water holding capacity, soil total nitrogen, exchangeable bases and cat ion exchange capacity, but reduced soil bulk density and acidity. Ash supply Si to the soil which helps the plants to ameliorate the salinity stress (Ma, 2004; Liang et al., 2003). Si is beneficial for growth of many plants under various a biotic (e.g. salt, drought and metal toxicity) and biotic (plant diseases and pests) mailto:fahimkbd@gmail.com 32 Fahim et al. stresses (Ma, 2004; Liang et al., 2003). A number of possible mechanisms are reported through which Si may increase salinity tolerance in plants (Liang et al., 2003), including increased plant water status (Romero et al., 2006), immobilization of toxic Na+ ion (Liang et al., 2003), reduced Na+ uptake in plants and enhanced K+ uptake (Tahir et al., 2006; Liang et al., 2005; Yeo et al., 1999) and higher K+: Na+ selectivity (Hasegawa et al., 2000). In particular, Si deposition in the endodermis is proposed to restrict Na+ transport along a “transpirational by pass” route from root to shoot in rice (Gong et al., 2006). Therefore, the present study was under taken to investigate the ameliorative effect of ash on grain yield and yield attributes of rice var. BRRI Dhan47 under various salinity levels. Materials and Methods The experiment was conducted at the net house of the department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh during the period from March to August, 2010. The experimental site was located at 24o N latitude and 940 E longitude and 18 meter above sea level. The experimental site belongs to the Agro-ecological Zone of the Old Brahmaputra Floodplain (AEZ 9). The soil was collected within 6 cm from the top soil. The experimental soil was loamy in texture having a soil pH value of 6.43, moderate in organic matter content (Table 1). After collection, the soil was dried in sun and loosened. All the inert matter was removed. The pots were filled up by soil. Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has developed var. BRRI dhan47 as a salt tolerant variety for boro season as the test crop. This variety can tolerate 12-14 dSm-1 salinity at seedling stage and 6 dSm-1 salinity for whole life The var. BRRI dhan47 matures within 150 days after transplanting. It attains a plant height of about 105 cm. The average yield of BRRI dhan47 is 6.1 tha-1 under normal condition and around 4 tha-1 in saline (BRRI, 2007). Five level of ash (viz. 0, 1.5, 3, 4.5 & 6 tha-1) and six salinity level (viz. 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 & 100 mM NaCl) were used as treatment variables. The experimental was laid put in a factorial Randomized Complete Block Design with five replications. The total number of pots used in this study was 150 (6 x 5 x 5). Seeds of var. BRRI dhan47 were collected from BRRI Gazipur. Seeds were soaked into water in buckets for 24 hours and then taken out of water and incubated in gunny bags for sprouting. Sprouted seeds were sown on 21 March 2010 in the nursery bed.. Plastic pots were selected for the experiment to check the loss of saline water. The size of the pot was 13.5 cm diameter in top and 30 cm in height. Each of the pots was filled with 14 kg of the collected soil and fertilized with urea 25, TSP13, MoP 9 , gypsum 8 and zinc sulphate 1.5 g/ pot. The total amount of TSP, MoP, gypsum and zinc sulphate and one third urea was applied during the final pot preparation and rest of the urea was top dressed at 20 and 40 days after transplanting (DAT). Seedlings were uprooted from nursery bed on 27 April 2010 and transplanted immediately at 3 seedlings hill-1. The insecticide Basudin 10 G @ 20 kg ha-1 were applied to control rice stem borer. The salinity was applied at tillering stage and ash was applied at final pot preparation mixing within 6cm of the potted top soil. The roof of the net house was covered with thin polythene sheet to protect the pots from rain water. Harvesting was done on 30 August 2010. Data on plant height, tillers hill-1, grains panicle-1, 1000-grain weight, grain yield (t ha-1), straw yield (t ha-1) and harvest index (%) were recorded properly. Harvest index (HI) was calculated following the formula given below (Kozak et al., 2007) Grain yield Harvest index (HI) = × 100 Biological yield 33 Application of Ash for Amelioration of Salinity Effect In Rice The collected data were analyzed statistically following the analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique and the mean difference were adjudged by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) using the statistical computer package program MSTAT-C (Gomez and Gomez, 1984). Table 1. Initial nutrient status of the potted soil Soil Parameters Content Soil pH 6.2 Organic carbon (%) 1.25 Organic matter (%) 1.67 Total nitrogen (%) 0.10 Available phosphorus (ppm) 26.00 Available potassium (me/100 g) 0.14 Available sulphur 13.90 Source: Soil science laboratory, Department of Soil Science, BAU, Mymensingh Results and Discussion Effect of salinity levels on yield and yield attributes of rice var. BRRI dhan47 Among the different salinity levels, seedlings of 0 mM NaCl and 20 mM NaCl were survive up to maturity but the seedlings of 40, 60, 80 & 100 mM NaCl were died (Table 2). The tallest plant (100 cm), higher number of tillers hill-1 (24) and panicle hill-1 (21) was recorded from control treatment (0 mM NaCl) whereas the shortest plant (97 cm), lower number of tillers hill-1 (22) and panicles hill-1 (19) was recorded from 20 mM NaCl salinity level. Hasanuzzaman et al. (2009) reported that the plant height decreased with increasing salinity level. Zeng and Shannon (2000) stated that there were significant reductions in tiller number at higher salt levels. The higher number of grains panicle-1 (94) and 1000-grain weight (25.67 g) was recorded in control treatment (0 mM NaCl) whereas the lower number of grains panicle-1(93) and 1000- grains weight (24.67 g) was recorded when applied 20 mM NaCl salinity level. Islam (2004) reported that number of grains panicle-1 decreased with increased salinity levels. Also Mortazainezhad et al. (2006) was observed that 1000-grains weight was negatively influenced by different salinity levels in the rice cultivars. Table 2. Effect of salinity on yield and yield attributes of rice var. BRRI dhan47 Salinity levels Plant height (cm) Tillers hill-1 (no.) Panicle hill-1 Grains panicle-1 (no.) 1000- grain weight (g) Grain yield (t ha-1) Straw yield (t ha-1) Harvest Index (%) S0 100a 24 a 21a 94a 25.67a 4.33a 7.22a 33.17a S1 97 b 22b 19b 93b 24.67b 4.02b 5.98b 33.15b S2 - - - - - - - - S3 - - - - - - - - S4 - - - - - - - - S5 - - - - - - - - LSD (0.05) 1.49 0.51 0.72 3.66 0.35 0.08 0.21 0.98 CV (%) 8.10 11.89 19.48 20.70 9.59 11.78 16.85 15.80 S0= 0 mM NaCl, S1= 20 mM NaCl, S2= 40 mM NaCl, S3= 60 mM NaCl, S4= 80 mM NaCl and S5= 100 mM NaCl. 34 Fahim et al. The higher grain yield (4.33 t ha-1), straw yield (7.22 t ha-1) and harvest Index (33.17%) was recorded from control treatment (0 mM NaCl). On the other hand, the lower grain yield (4.02 t ha-1), straw yield (5.98 t ha-1) and harvest Index (33.15%) was recorded from the salinity level 20 mM NaCl. Sexcion et al. (2009) reported that grain yield decreased with increasing salinity levels. The seedlings of 40, 60, 80 & 100 mM NaCl were died after salt application. Effect of ash on yield and yield attributes of var. BRRI dhan47 Different level of ash had significant effect on yield and yield attributes of BRRI dhan47 (Table 3). The maximum plant (101 cm) was recorded from 6 tha-1 ash which was identical to 4.5 t ha-1 ash whereas the shortest plant (95 cm) from the control treatment. Ogbodo et al. (2009) stated that plant height increase with the increasing ash level. The higher number of tillers hill-1 (26) was recorded from the treatment 6 t ha-1 ash which was identical to 4.5 t ha-1 ash (24) whereas the lower number of tillers hill-1 (20) from control. Higher number of panicles hill-1 (23), grains panicle-1 (100) and 1000-grain weight (26.98 g) was recorded from the treatment 6 t ha-1 ash whereas the lower number of panicle hill-1 (15), grains panicle-1 (83) and 1000- grains weight (22.41 g) from the control.. The maximum grain yield (4.46 t ha-1) was recorded from 6 t ha-1 ash, which was identical to the treatment 4.5 t ha-1 ash (4.45 t ha-1) followed by 3 t ha-1 ash (4.20 t ha-1). The lowest grain yield (3.70 t ha-1) was recorded from the control treatment. Similarly, Subramoniam and Chandrasekaran (2005); Sudhakar et al. (2004) stated that the grain yield increased with the increasing level of ash. The highest straw yield (6.93 t ha-1) and harvest index (35.40%) was recorded from the treatment 6 t ha-1 ash whereas the lowest straw yield (6.19 t ha-1) and harvest index (31.17%) from control treatment (0 t ha-1 ash). Table 3. Effect of ash on yield and yield attributes of rice var. BRRI dhan47 Levels of ash Plant height (cm) Tillers hill-1 (no.) Panicle hill-1 Grains panicle-1 (no.) 1000-grain weight (g) Grain yield (tha-1) Straw yield (tha-1) Harvest index (%) A0 95 b 20d 15b 83b 22.41c 3.70c 6.15a 31.17b A1 97 ab 22cd 17b 93ab 24.41b 4.02bc 6.38a 31.8ab A2 98ab 23bc 21a 97ab 23.43ab 4.20ab 6.70a 32.04ab A3 101a 24ab 22a 99a 26.62a 4.45a 6.84a 35.34a A4 101a 26a 23a 100a 26.98a 4.46a 6.93a 35.40a LSD (0.05 ) 1.36 0.47 0.66 3.34 0.32 0.07 0.19 0.89 CV (%) 8.10 11.89 19.48 20.70 9.59 11.78 16.85 15.80 A0 = Control, A1 = 1.5 t ha-1, A2 = 3 t ha-1, A3=4.5 t ha-1, A1= 6 t ha-1 Interaction of ash and salinity levels on yield and yield attributes of rice var. BRRI dhan47 The interaction effect of ash and salinity levels had significant effect on the yield and yield attributes of rice var. BRRI dhan47 (Table 4). The tallest plant (102 cm) was recorded from the treatment combination of 0 mM NaCl x 6 t ha-1 ash which was identical to 0 mM NaCl x 4.5 t ha-1 ash (102 cm) whereas, the shortest plant (92 cm) was recorded when no ash was applied with salinity level 20 mM NaCl. The number of tillers hill-1 was higher (26) in the treatment combination of 0 mM NaCl x 6 t ha-1 ash which was identical to 0 m M NaCl x 4.5 t ha-1 ash (25) followed by 20 m M NaCl x 6 t ha-1 ash (25) whereas, lower (19) in the treatment combination of 20 mM NaCl x 0 t ha-1 ash. The number of panicles hill-1 (23), grains panicle-1 35 Application of Ash for Amelioration of Salinity Effect In Rice (101) and 1000-grain weight (21.36 g) was higher in 0 mM NaCl x 6 t ha-1 ash and lower number of panicles hill-1 (15), grains panicle-1 (76) and 1000-grain weight (17.20) was obtained from 20 mM NaCl x 0 t ha-1 ash. The maximum grain yield (4.54 t ha-1) was recorded from the treatment combination of 0 mM NaCl x 6 t ha-1 ash which was identical to 0 mM NaCl x 4.5 t ha-1 ash (4.52 t ha-1) followed by 20 mM NaCl x 6 t ha-1 ash (4.39 t ha-1).The lowest grain yield (3.49 t ha-1) was obtained from the treatment combination 20 mM NaCl x 0 t ha-1 ash. The harvest index was higher (37.32%) in the treatment combination 20 mM NaCl x 4.5 t ha-1 ash which was identical to 20 mM NaCl x 6 t ha-1 ash (37.10%) and lower (29.81%) in 20 mM NaCl x 0 t ha-1 ash. Table 4. Interaction of ash and salinity levels on yield and yield attributes of rice vr. BRRI dhan47 Interactions Plant height (cm) Tillers hill-1 (no.) Panicle hill-1 Grains panicle-1 (no.) 1000-grain weight (g) Grain yield (tha-1) Straw yield (tha-1) Harvest Index (%) A0S0 98abc 21d 15d 91b 22.49e 3.94cd 32.51bcd 32.51bcd A0S1 92d 19e 15d 76c 22.36e 3.49e 29.81e 29.81e A1S0 98abc 22d 20bc 93ab 24.55d 4.27b 33.14bc 33.14bc A1S1 95cd 21d 15d 94ab 24.29d 3.78d 30.46de 30.46de A2S0 99ab 25bc 23a 99ab 26.00b 4.35ab 33.01bc 33.01bc A2S1 97bc 22d 19c 95ab 24.77cd 4.04c 31.05cde 31.05cde A3S0 102a 25ab 22a 101a 27.54a 4.52a 33.38bc 33.38bc A3S1 101ab 24c 21ab 98ab 25.70bc 4.38ab 37.32a 37.32a A4S0 102a 26a 23a 101a 27.76a 4.54a 33.70b 33.70b A4S1 101ab 25abc 22a 98ab 26.23b 4.39ab 37.10a 37.10a LSD (0.05) 0.61 0.21 0.29 1.98 0.19 0.04 0.53 0.53 CV(%) 8.10 11.89 19.48 20.70 9.59 11.78 15.80 15.80 A0 = Control, A1 = 1.5 tha-1, A2 = 3 tha-1, A3=4.5tha-1, A1=6 tha-1, S0= 0 mM NaCl and S1= 20 mM NaCl. 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