Cooperative Effect of Salicylic Acid and Boron on the Productivity of Pearl Millet Crop under the Degraded Saline Soils Conditions

Abstract

Drought and salinity are the most limiting factors for crop production in arid and semi-arid areas. Moreover, pearl millet cultivation may be an excellent selection in arid and saline lands. Therefore, two field experiments were conducted at the Desert Research Center, Agriculture Experimental Station at Ras Sudr, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt during  2018 and 2019 seasons, to study the effect of seed priming (as seed soaking) using five salicylic acids levels (tap water as a control, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg/L SA) and fertilizing soil application by five boron rates (without boron, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 kg boron/fed, as boric acid) on pearl millet yields. The results showed that plant height (cm), panicle length (cm), panicles number/m2, grain weight/panicle (g), seed index (g) and grain protein content percentage as well as biological, grain and protein yields (kg/fed) were significantly increased by salicylic acid (SA) levels in both seasons. Soaking the grains of pearl millet in 200 mg/L SA treatment was the best practice in both seasons as compared to the other treatments. Regarding the effect of boron (B) treatments, all the abovementioned characters were significantly affected by B treatments in the two studied seasons. Adding 3 kg B/fed gave the highest values of all the studied attributes in both seasons. It is clear that from the obtained results pearl millet grain primed in 200 mg/L SA along with B at a rate of 3 kg/fed could be recommended for enhancing pearl millet yields under saline soil conditions.