Investigating the Effects of Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) Drainage Water, Foliar Application of Amino Acids, and Salicylic Acid on Morpho-Physiological Characteristics of Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) Cultivars

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• H Nezhad Gharebaghi ¹
• P Hassibi ¹
• A Rahnama ¹
• D Kahrizi ²
• A Monsefi ¹

¹ Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

² Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

10.22067/jcesc.2025.91086.1363

Abstract

Introduction
This study aimed to utilize unconventional water resources to cultivating the strategic oilseed crop Camelina sativa, also investigating the effects of foliar application of L-amino acids and salicylic acid (SA) on morpho-physiological characteristics of Camelina cultivars. Soil and water salinity are the most significant problems in Khuzestan Province, leading ‎to reduced agricultural productivity. High salinity in Khuzestan soils significantly reduces ‎the growth and productivity of many crops. However, employing foliar spraying of amino acids ‎and salicylic acid can serve as a magnificent method to reduce the impact of salt stress in ‎saline soils. The current investigation intends to explore the effect of foliar spraying of ‎amino acids and salicylic acid on the Camelina sativa L. under sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) drainage water ‎irrigation. Camelina‏ ‏as a low input oilseed crop has a few positive‏ ‏traits that make it possible ‎to cultivate in Iran. The main advantages of Camelina like drought and salinity tolerance and ‎high seed oil content make it valuable especially in less‏ ‏productive lands. Due to the large volumes of drainage water produced in the sugarcane industry, recycling this water and using it to irrigate salt-tolerant crops—other than sugarcane—can serve as a valuable source of supplemental irrigation. With proper management, drainage water recycling can also offer additional benefits, such as conserving conventional freshwater resources needed for expanding crop cultivation in the region.
Materials and Methods
The experiment was conducted during the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 growing seasons using a split-split plot test based on a randomized complete block design in four replications at the sugarcane industry of Hakim Farabi, located in southern Khuzestan Province. Water sources as main factor included river water (control), alternate irrigation (alternating river water and sugarcane drainage water), sugarcane drainage water irrigation. Sub-factor was foliar applications at flowering stage included control (no application), L-amino acids at 1.5 and 3 L ha^-1, salicylic acid at 1 and 2 mM, and cultivars (Soheil and Sepehr) as sub-sub-factor. The amino acids used included alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and valine from stock solutions of 1 and 1.5 L ha^-1.
 Results and Discussion
Results indicated that under river water irrigation (Karun River), the Sepehr cultivar treated with 3 L ha⁻¹ L-amino acids exhibited a 53% higher seed yield compared to the untreated Soheil control. The lowest yield was observed under sugarcane drainage water irrigation. However, the Soheil cultivar showed a 35% yield advantage under sugarcane drainage water when treated with 3 L ha^-1L-amino acids compared to the untreated Sepehr control. The highest seed yield over the two years was obtained from river water irrigation combined with a foliar application of 3 L ha^-1 of amino acids in the Sepehr cultivar (3609 kg ha^-1). In contrast, the lowest seed yield was recorded for the Sepehr cultivar under irrigation with sugarcane drain water. The best seed yield in the Soheil cultivar was also achieved with a foliar application of 3 L ha^-1 of amino acids (1691 kg ha^-1). The Sepehr cultivar exhibited higher grain and biological yields under river water irrigation. Foliar applications of amino acids and salicylic acid significantly improved seed yield, biological yield, harvest index, 1000-seed weight, number of siliques per plant, number of seeds per silique, silique length, and plant height under both drainage water and non-drainage water irrigation conditions. However, under drainage water irrigation, Sepehr yielded less than the Sohail cultivar. Overall, foliar application of L-amino acids and salicylic acid appeared to function as effective growth regulators, alleviating stress by enhancing nutrient uptake and ultimately improving seed yield.
Conclusion
This study concluded that foliar applications of amino acids and salicylic acid enhanced the growth and development of Camelina by improving nutrient absorption, mitigating stress effects, and increasing seed yield. The integration of L-amino acids and SA alleviated stress under unconventional water irrigation, demonstrating their potential for sustainable Camelina production. River water with amino acid supplementation yielded optimal results, while sugarcane drainage water required amino acid amendments to enhance productivity.

Keywords

• Irrigation management
• L-amino acids
• Non-conventional water resources
• Oilseed
• Seed yield

Main Subjects

• Environmental stresses

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Authors retain the copyright. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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