Utilization of Brackish Water for Growing Plants on sandy Belts of Pakistan

Abstract

Plants were raised from the seed of desert sand and subjected to the ‘Survival test’ by irrigating them with the different dilutions of chemically amended sea water. Another lot of seedlings were pre-conditioned for salt tolerance by irrigation them with gradually increasing concentrations of chemically amended sea water reaching upto the maximum predicable limit determined through above mentioned experiments. These seedlings were later transplanted in the drum plots filled with sand having A basal out let for drainage. They were irrigated with the same concentration of amended sea water which they were receiving from prior transplantation. Plant like wheat, tarmera, maize, cotton, sugarcane and sugar beet were grown upto maturity on sandy soil using various concentration of sea water for irrigation. Plants showed luxuriant growth upto certain level of salinity. Though at higher concentrations the reproductive growth was more adversely affected then vegetative growth. This technique was found quite useful for saline agriculture where vegetative parts are used as fodder or for human consumption. However, the reduction in reproductive growth may still be with compromise able limit in some other plants.