Document Type : Research Article
Authors
1
Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
2
Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, 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 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 amounts of drainage water in sugarcane production industries, drainage water recycling, and application for salt tolerant crops irrigation except for sugarcane can be used as supplemental irrigation. Depending on management, drainage water recycling can also provide other complementary benefits such as saving conventional water resources needed for the development of 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 within 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 dranage water), sugarcane dranage water irrigation. Sub-factor was Ffoliar 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.
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⁻¹ L-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 of amino acids in the Sepehr cultivar (3609 kg/ha). 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 of amino acids (1691 kg/ha). The Sepehr cultivar demonstrated higher grain and biological yields under river water irrigation conditions. The foliar applications of amino acids and salicylic acid positively influenced 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 drain water usage conditions and non-usage conditions. Notably, the Sepehr cultivar yielded less than Sohail under drain water conditions. It seems that foliar application of L-amino acids and SA acted as potential growth regulators, mitigating stress effects by enhancing nutrient uptake and 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 dranage water required amino acid amendments to enhance productivity.
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