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Effect of soil salinity on the yield and yield components of mungbean

Article in Pakistan Journal of Botany · February 2009

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Pak. J. Bot., 41(1): 263-268, 2009.

EFFECT OF SOIL SALINITY ON THE YIELD AND YIELD

COMPONENTS OF MUNGBEAN
SHAKIL AHMED

Institute of Mycology & Plant Pathology,

University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore-54590, Pakistan.

Abstract

Experiment was conducted with 5 mungbean accessions/genotypes with the aim of

ascertaining the effect of salt stress on the yield and its component. The decrease in seed yield per
plant under salt stress was more pronounced, associated with a reduced number of seed per pod and
100 seed weight. Consequently salt stress was more effective at vegetative, flowering and seed
filling stages rather than seed development stage in all the five accessions/genotypes. NM-92 was
less affected which showed its adaptability under saline conditions. Delayed maturity due to salt
stress pushes the plant also be desiccation stress causing shriveled seeds.

Introduction

Soil salinity not only delays but also reduces flowering and yield of crop plants (Gill,
1979). It may affect pollination and thus decrease seed set and grain yield (Mass, 1986).
Reduction in yield under salinity has been reported in many crops viz., wheat, barley,
bean, rice and cotton (Keating & Fisher, 1985). Maas et al., (1986) exposed two sorghum
cultivars to salinity and determined the reduction in dry matter and grain yield. Saline
irrigation water applied to soybean significantly reduced the growth and yield, when
grown on hill (Beecher, 1994). Singh et al., (1989) reported that four Vigna radiata
cultivars in plots salinized with 2,4, and 6 dS m –1 gave average seed yields of 906, 504,
and 370 kg / ha, respectively.
Salinity is known to reduce the growth of glycophytes (salt sensitive species).
Salinization of soil is one of the major factors limiting crop production, particularly in
arid and semi-arid regions of the world, like Pakistan. It occupies a prominent place
amongst the soil problems that threaten the sustainability of agriculture in Pakistan. Out
of 16.2 m ha of land under irrigation, more than 40,000 ha of land is lost to crop
production each year in Pakistan (Yasin et al., 1998). Mungbean is an important legume
of dry land agriculture. Legumes are being used in annual crop rotations on an
increasingly large area of heavy clay soils in many regions of Pakistan. These soils
frequently have moderate to high levels of salts, predominantly Sodium chloride.
Mungbean production (455 kg/ha) in Pakistan is very low as compared to other countries
of the world (Anon., 2001). This is due to the reason that major part of mungbean
growing areas is salt affected. In order to make effective utilization of salt affected soils,
it is important to select such mungbean genotypes, which may endure salt stress and
produce substantial yield under saline environment.

Corresponding address E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 092 042 9231846, 092 042 9231847, Fax: 092 042 9231187
264 SHAKIL AHMED

Materials and Methods

The experiment was a pot trial carried out in the wire house of Botanical Garden,
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad under natural conditions. The seeds of 2 mungbean
accessions 245/7 and 241/11 collected from Khushab (Salt Range) while three advanced
genotypes, viz., NM-51, NM-92 and 6601 were obtained from Nuclear Institute for
Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad. The accessions / genotypes were selected
for then trails showed contrasting seed characteristics. The plants were raised in earthen
pots 30 cm in diameter lined with polythene bags, containing 10 kg of sun dried,
homogeneous sandy loam soil and three plants were maintained per pot after thinning.
The pots were randomized placed in a wire house. The physico-chemical characteristics
of soil were; organic matter 1.2%; cation exchange capacity 11.3 meq l-1; pH 7.4; EC 0.8
dS m-1; sodium absorption ratio 0.05 meq l-1; Na+ 2.35 meq l-1; Cl- 5.83 meq l -1; SO4 2 –
1.49 meq l-1 and Ca + Mg 14.5 meq l-1. The average temperature during the experiment
was between 33oC ± 4 to 40oC ± 3, relative humidity between 27% ± 4 to 35% ± 8 and
rainfall ranged from 62 to 84 mm.
Salt solution with 4, 8 and 12 dS/m EC were added to soil at different growth stages
i.e., vegetative, flowering and seed filling stages. Tap water was used for irrigation
throughout the growth period as and when needed. The EC of the tap water was also
measured by EC meter, which was ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 dS m-1 during the experiment.
The data for yield and yield components were recorded at the maturity of crop. Data
collected were statistically analyzed (Steel & Torrie, 1960).

Results

Statistical analysis for the pod characteristics of economic yield of mungbean i.e.,
number of pod per plant, average pod length, fresh and dry weight of pod per plant,
indicated highly significant (p<0.01) differences among the accessions / genotypes with
increased salinity and interactions of these factors were also highly significant (p<0.01)
except the interaction for dry weight of one pod (Table 1). The increasing levels of NaCl
decreased all the pod characteristics of economic yield taken at maturity in all the
accessions/genotypes indicate distinct behavior for these economic yield parameters
which was greatest in NM-92, while it was lowest in 241/11.
The analysis of variance for seed characteristics of economic yield i.e., number of
seed per plant, 100 seed weight and seed yield per plant, indicated statistically highly
significant results (p<0.01) except for the number of seed per pod which was non-
significant (p>0.05). The increasing salinity, decreased all the seed characteristics of
economic yield in all accessions / genotypes at maturity under present studies (Table 1).
However, the accession/genotype indicated peculiar behavior for all the seed
characteristics of economic yield parameters which was the maximum in NM-92, while it
was virtually nil in 241/11, as no pod formation was observed in this accession at the
highest level of NaCl salinity. Moreover, some changes occurred in morpho-reproductive
characters of 5 mungbean genotypes at 8 dS m-1 and 12 dS m-1 levels of NaCl salinity at
maturity (Table 2).
EFFECT OF SOIL SALINITY ON YIELD & YIELD COMPONENTS OF MUNGBEAN 265
266 SHAKIL AHMED
EFFECT OF SOIL SALINITY ON YIELD & YIELD COMPONENTS OF MUNGBEAN 267

Discussion

The economic yield of crops is adversely affected under salt stress (Sarin et al.,
1975). One of the attributes for reduced yield may be a reduction in pod and seed
production by the plant. Gill (1979) reported similar result of effect of soil salinity on
yield in barley. Furthermore, mungbean under present investigation differed widely in
yield and its component attributes under normal as well as under saline conditions. This
may ultimately lead to reduce seed yield under salinity and consequent lower economic
yield.
Most of the glycophytes experience a depression in overall yield and yield
components when exposed to relatively elevated levels of Na+ and Cl- (Curtis & Lauchli,
1986). NaCl the growth of root, shoot and leaves either increased (Dudeck et al., 1983)
or decrease (Ashraf & Rasul, 1988). In current experiment a significant reduction in the
growth of aerial part of plant may also be consequent to the decreased dry matter
production and economic yield.
Reduction of yield and its component rated under salt stress condition may also be
attributed to low production, expansion, senescence and physiologically less active green
foliage (Rawson et al., 1988; Schactman & Munns, 1992; Kumar et al., 1994; Wahid et
al., 1997), thus reduced photosynthetic rate might be a supplementary effect (Seemann &
Critchley, 1985). The morhpho-physiological characteristics also play a crucial role
directly or indirectly in the reduction of efficiency per day of plant as well as effective
filling period of seed and may lead to decreased the yield of crop. According to Gill
(1979) lengthening the time required for seed filling under salt stress pushe the plants at
seed filling and maturity to high temperature and water stress due to the summer. The
effect of both salt and water stress might lead to shriveled seeds and consequent lower
yield. Thus, it may be concluded that reduced yield under salt stress may be due to
reduced efficiency per day of plant to fill the developing seeds, which may lead to
reduced number of seeds per pod/or plant and dry matter yield of individual seed.
Delayed maturity due to salt stress pushes the plant also to desiccation stress causing
shriveled seeds.

References

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 268 SHAKIL AHMED

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(Received for publication 29 February 2008)

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