Abstract
Salt stress limits the crop yield in semiarid regions. Appropriate nitrogen sources mitigate salt stress in some species. Horticulturists prefer to use ammonium when growing Italian zucchini cv. Caserta, because ammonium is cheaper compared to nitrate. In this study, we evaluated the comparative effects of nitrate and ammonium ions on the growth, physiological responses, and production of Italian zucchini under salt stress conditions. An experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, in a hydroponic system, with two nitrogen sources (nitrate and ammonium), combined with five levels of irrigation water electrical conductivity (0.5; 2.0; 3.5; 5.0, and 6.5 dS m−1), in 2 × 5 factorial scheme and randomized block design, with four replicates. Cultivation extended up to 50 days, and we access the growth, gas exchanges, photochemical efficiency, energy quenching, and production components. Ammonium causes flower abortion in Italian zucchini and no fruits formed, regardless of the salt stress conditions. The growth, gas exchanges, photochemical efficiency, and production of the nitrate-fed plants outperform ammonium-fed plants. The water with electrical conductivity greater than 3.5 dS m−1 reduced growth, gas exchange, photochemical efficiency, energy efficiency, and production of the Italian zucchini fed with nitrate. Nitrate is appropriate to grow Italian zucchini under salt stress conditions.
Highlights
-
Nitrogen sources alter Italian zucchini physiological responses.
-
The best photosynthesis performance of zucchini under salt stress occurs with NO3−.
-
Italian zucchini fertilized with NH4+ does not produce fruit.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of Data and Materials
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.
References
JR Acosta-Motos MF Ortuño AB Vicente PD Vivancos MJS Blanco JA Hernandez 2017 Plant responses to salt stress: adaptive mechanisms Agron 7 1 38 https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy7010018
N Bensalem SM Helali M Chebbi T Ghnaya Z Ouerghi 2020 The interactive effect of nitrate/ammonium ratio and sodium chloride on Tunisian medicinal plant (Nigella sativa L) J Plant Nutr 43 987 999 https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2020.1711935
M Camalle D Standing M Jitan R Muhaisen N Bader M Bsoul Y Ventura A Soltabayeva M Sagi 2020 Effect of salinity and nitrogen sources on the leaf quality, biomass, and metabolic responses of two ecotypes of Portulaca oleracea Agron 10 656 https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10050656
AS Dias GS Lima FVS Sá HR Gheyi LAA Soares PD Fernandes 2018 Gas exchanges and photochemical efficiency of West Indian cherry cultivated with saline water and potassium fertilization Rev Bras Eng Agríc Ambient 22 628 633 https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v22n9p628-633
AS Dias LIMA GS, Soares LAA, Gueyi HR, Nobre RG, Santos JB, Sá FVS, 2017 Physiological indices and production of sesame under salt stress and nitrate/ammonium proportions Biosci J 33 610 620 https://doi.org/10.14393/BJ-v33n3-36528
GS Fialho LP Dalvi NBC Dalvi KT Kuhlcamp EM Effgen 2011 Prediction of the leaf area in zucchini fruit: a non destructive, exact, simple, fast, and practical method [Portuguese] Rev Bras Agrop Sust 1 59 63 https://doi.org/10.21206/rbas.v1i2.39
PR Furlani D Bolonhezi LCP Silveira V Faquin 1999 Nutrição mineral de hortaliças, preparo e manejo de soluções nutritivas Inf Agrop 20 90 98
K Hessini K Issaoui S Ferchichi T Saif C Abdelly KHM Siddique C Cruz 2019 Interactive effects of salinity and nitrogen forms on plant growth, photosynthesis and osmotic adjustment in maize Plant Physiol Biochem 139 171 178 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.03.005
K Hessini K Jeddi KHM Siddique C Cruz 2020 Drought and salinity: a comparison of their effects on the ammonium-preferring species Spartina alterniflora Physiol Plant 172 431 440 https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.13241
K Hessini K Jeddi KHM Siddique JF Moran 2021 Can nitrate-based fertilization be recommended for the cultivation of ammonium-preferring species in a salty ecosystem? The case for Spartina alterniflora Arab J Geosci 14 1259 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-07662-7
D Heuermann H Hahn N Wirén von 2021 Seed yield and nitrogen efficiency in oilseed rape after ammonium nitrate or urea fertilization Front Plant Sci 11 608785 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.608785
RD Huang 2018 Research progress on plant tolerance to soil salinity and alkalinity in sorghum J Integr Agr 17 739 746 https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-3119(17)61728-3
DM Kramer G Johnson O Kiirats GE Edwads 2004 New fluorescence parameters for the determination of QA redox state and excitation energy fluxes Photosynth Res 79 209 218 https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PRES.0000015391.99477.0d
M Lang P Li C Ti S Zhu X Yan SX Chang 2019 Soil gross nitrogen transformations are related to land-uses in two agroforestry systems Ecol Eng 127 431 439 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.12.022
A Larbi R Baccar H Boulal 2021 Response of olive tree to ammonium nitrate fertilization under saline conditions J Plant Nutr 44 1432 1445 https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2020.1862188
EV Maas GJ Hoffman 1997 Crop salt-tolerance — current assessment J Irrig Drain Div ASCE 103 115 134
Q Miao J Zhang Y Chen Y Xue Z Cui 2021 Integrated nitrogen amount and sources maximize maize nitrogen efficiency in the saline soils Agron J 113 1 14 https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20584
K Oxborough NR Baker 1997 An instrument capable of imaging chlorophyll a fluorescence from leaves at very low irradiance and at cellular and subcellular levels of organization Plant Cell Environ 20 1473 1483 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3040.1997.d01-42.x
MS Pontes DE Graciano DR Antunes JS Santos GJ Arruda ER Botero R Grillo SM Lima LHC Andrade ARL Caires EF Santiago 2020 In vitro and in vivo impact assessment of eco-designed CuO nanoparticles on non-target aquatic photoautotrophic organisms J Hazard Mater 396 122484 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122484
Y Rouphael V Micco C Arena G Raimondi G Colla S Pascale 2017 Effect of Ecklonia maxima seaweed extract on yield, mineral composition, gas exchange, and leaf anatomy of zucchini squash grown under saline conditions J Appl Phycol 29 459 470 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-016-0937-x
Sá FVS, Gheyi HR, Lima GS, Paiva EP, Silva LA, Moreira RCL, Fernandes PD, Dias AS (2019) Ecophysiology of West Indian cherry irrigated with saline water under phosphorus and nitrogen doses. Biosci J 35:211-221.
FVS Sá HR Gheyi GS Lima FWA Pinheiro EP Paiva RCL Moreira LA Silva PD Fernandes 2021 The right combination of N-P-K fertilization may mitigate salt stress in custard apple (Annona squamosa L) Acta Physiol Plant 43 59 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-021-03225-1
ST Santos FA Oliveira GBS Oliveira FVS Sá JPBM Costa PD Fernandes 2020 Photochemical efficiency of basil cultivars fertigated with salinized nutrient solutions Rev Bras Eng Agríc Ambient 24 320 325 https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v24n5p319-324
Silva AA, Dias NS, Jales GD, Rebouças TC, Fernandes PD, Ferreira-Neto M, Morais PLD, Paiva EP, Fernandes CS, Sá FVS (2021a) Fertigation with fish farming effluent at the adequate phenological stages improves physiological responses, production and quality of cherry tomato fruit, International Journal of Phytoremediation. https://doi.org/10.1080/15226514.2021.1935444
JS Silva FVS Sá NS Dias M Ferreira-Neto GD Jales PD Fernandes 2021 Morphophysiology of mini watermelon in hydroponic cultivation using reject brine and substrates Rev Bras Eng Agríc Ambient 25 402 408 https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v25n6p402-408
MWL Souza SB Torres FA Oliveira ICS Marques KTO Pereira IT Guimaraes 2020 Saline-water irrigation and plant growth regulator application on zucchini fruit yield and quality Rev Bras Eng Agríc Ambient 24 679 684 https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v24n10p679-684
CPC Terceiro-Neto JF Medeiros HR Gheyi NS Dias JA Santos Júnior RC Rivera SRP Suddarth BLC Lima CS Fernandes 2021 Irrigation management strategies with brackish water in production and post-harvest quality of “toad skin” melon Water Air Soil Pollut 232 231 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-021-05189-x
E Zelm van Y Zhang C Testerink 2020 Salt tolerance mechanisms of plants Annu Rev Plant Biol 71 403 433 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-arplant-050718-100005
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Conduction of the experiment, data collection and analysis were performed by CSF, FVSS, LBLR, EPP, LAS, RCLM and AÁS. The first draft of the manuscript was written by CSF, FVSS, MFN, NSD and PDF. FVSS contributed to manuscript revision, and read and approved the final version.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate
Not applicable.
Consent for Publication
Not applicable.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fernandes, C.d., Ferreira-Neto, M., Dias, N.d. et al. The Appropriate Source of Nitrogen for Italian Zucchini Under Salt Stress Conditions. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 22, 560–570 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-021-00668-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-021-00668-w