The Effects of Superabsorbent Polymer on Atriplex lentiformis Growth and Soil Characteristics under Drought Stress (Case Study: Desert Research Station, Semnan, Iran)

Abstract

As far as Iran is concerned in arid and semi-arid region and amount of water is limited, improvement of water consuming is very important. One of the ways for storing water is to use superabsorbent polymer. So, this research compared normal and deficit irrigation methods by considering the effects of stockosorb (0.1% and 0.3% by volume) and zeolite (10 weight% and 15 weight%) in two sandy soils (70% and 80%) on soil physicochemical characteristics (EC, pH, field capacity, available water, wilting point, bulk density, practical density, porosity, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and plant morphological traits (plant height, basal area, large and small diameter of canopy) of <em>Atriplex lentiformis </em>(Torr.) S.Wats. The research was carried out in the field of desert research centre in Semnan Province in 2013. A split factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design with four replications was used. Data were analyzed using SPSS₁₆software. The result showed that superabsorbent had a significant effect on plant height, large and small diameter of canopy. Also, superabsorbent had a significant effect on EC, pH, field capacity, available water, bulk density, porosity, K. However, they had no significant effect on wilting point, soil particle density, P and N. Also, the result of economical investigation of stockosorb and zeolite showed that using 10 wt% zeolite, 15 wt% zeolite and 0.1% stockosorb with normal irrigation is economical.