EFFECT OF SALINITY ON SEED GERMINATION AND SEEDLING ESTABLISHMENT OF Moringa oleifera

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted at the agroforestry farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka during July 2020 to November 2020 to examine the establishment of Moringa seedling under the effect of saline soil. The experiment was set up by taking a single factor: Salinity. The factor had six (6) different levels viz., T 0

= 2 ds m

= 4 ds m -1 , T 2

= 6 ds m -1 , T 3

= 8 ds m -1 , T 4

= 10 ds m -1 , and T 5

= 12 ds m -1 . The experiment was laid out on simple Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. Experimental result revealed that in terms of germination percentage (87.5% and 100% at 10 DAS and 15 DAS, respectively), plant height, number of leaves plant -1 , branch length, shoot length, and root length, as well as total fresh weight (16.2 g), shoot fresh weight, and root fresh weight, total dry weight (4.97 g), and shoot dry weight and root dry weight, the T treatment showed the best performance. While increasing salinity drastically impact on moringa seedling and in this experiment the T 0

treatment had shown the worst results in terms of germination percentage (25% and 31.25% at 10 DAS and 15 DAS, respectively), plant height, number of leaves per plant 1 , branch length, shoot length, and root length. Total fresh weight (3.07 g), shoot fresh weight, and root fresh weight (0.50 g), as well as total dry weight (0.50 g), shoot dry weight, and root dry weight, were also low T 5 (12 ds m -1 ) treatment. As the saline content increased, the effect of salt on had a negative impact on seed germination and seedling of moringa seedling.