Application of fulvic acid and potassium fertilization to reduce the harmful effect of salt water stress on growth, productivity and nutritional status of tomato plants

Abstract

Water is a key resource for sustainable agricultural development in Egypt. The scarcity of fresh water resources in Egypt has led to the use of salt water for irrigation. Therefore, the aim of the research was to study the effect of potassium fertilization and spraying with fulvic acid on tomato plants irrigated with salt water and grown in sandy soil during two successive growing seasons. Different rates of the potassium fertilization combined with different concentrations of fulvic acid foliar application. The rates of K fertilization were 150, 200 and 300 Kg K₂O per hectare of the recommended fertilizer unit (300 kg K₂O ha^-1). While, the concentrations of fulvic acid were 500, 1000 and 2000 mgl^-1. Increasing the spraying concentration of fulvic acid from 500 to 2000 ppm resulted in a significant improvement in the parameters of growth, quantity and quality yield of tomato plants with an increase in potassium fertilization rates from 150 to 300 K₂O kg ha^-1 with the use of saline irrigation water. Increasing the concentration of fulvic acid spraying led to the uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in tomato leaves increased with an increase in potassium fertilization rates. Therefore, it can be said that spraying fulvic acid with the use of potassium fertilization is one of the successful solutions in reducing the effect of irrigation with salt water on the growth and yield of tomato plants.