The Integrated Application of Phosphorous and Zinc Affects the Physiological Status, Yield and Quality of Canola Grown in Phosphorus-suffered Deficiency Saline Soil

Despite the soil could contain high amount of phosphorus (P), salinity reduce its availability for crop plants. Hence, farmers should practice several tactics to ameliorate P deficiency in soils. The current study aimed to assess the importance of zinc (Zn) supply for mitigating the deficiency of P for canola grown in saline soil. The effects of three Zn rates (0, 150 and 300 mg L−1, Zn0, Zn150and Zn300, respectively) under three P rates (0, 36 and 72 kg P2O5ha−1, P0, P36, and P72, respectively) on physiological status, yield and quality of canola were measured. Treatments were arranged in the strip plot design based on completely randomized blocks with three replicates. Findings exhibited that P36recorded the highest values of membrane stability index in the 2nd season, while statistically leveled P72for relative water content and chlorophyll fluorescence in both seasons. Zn300exhibited potent effect on all canola physiological traits in both seasons. In both seasons, P36 × Zn300, P72 × Zn150and P72 × Zn300showed the maximum chlorophyll fluorescence and performance index values. Plots treated with P72achieved 70.0% increase in canola seed yield, greater than the untreated ones. Seed yield obtained with Zn300were higher than Zn0and Zn150by1.30 and 1.10 times in 2019/20 season and 1.23 and 1.05 times in 2020/21 season. The highest oil % was recorded with P0 × Zn150and P72 × Zn0in the 1st season and with P72 × Zn150in the 2nd season.