Improvement of Selected Morphological, Physiological, and Biochemical Parameters of Roselle (<i>Hibiscus sabdariffa</i> L.) Grown under Different Salinity Levels Using Potassium Silicate and <i>Aloe saponaria</i> Extract
Alaa Idris Badawy Abou-Sreea,
Mohamed H. H. Roby,
Hayam A. A. Mahdy,
Nasr M. Abdou,
Amira M. El-Tahan,
Mohamed T. El-Saadony,
Khaled A. El-Tarabily,
Fathy M. A. El-Saadony
Affiliations
Alaa Idris Badawy Abou-Sreea
Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, Fayoum 63514, Egypt
Mohamed H. H. Roby
Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, Fayoum 63514, Egypt
Hayam A. A. Mahdy
Botany Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
Nasr M. Abdou
Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, Fayoum 63514, Egypt
Amira M. El-Tahan
Plant Production Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, The City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, SRTA-City, Borg El Arab, Alexandria 21500, Egypt
Mohamed T. El-Saadony
Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt
Khaled A. El-Tarabily
Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates
Two successive field trials were carried out at the experimental farm of the Agriculture Department of Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt, to investigate the sole or dual interaction effect of applying a foliar spray of Aloe saponaria extract (Ae) or potassium silicate (KSi) on reducing the stressful salinity impacts on the development, yield, and features of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) plants. Both Ae or KSi were used at three rates: 0% (0 cm3 L−1), 0.5% (5 cm3 L−1), and 1% (10 cm3 L−1) and 0, 30, and 60 g L−1, respectively. Three rates of salinity, measured by the electrical conductivity of a saturated soil extract (ECe), were also used: normal soil (ECe −1 greatly increased these abovementioned attributes. Fruit number and fruit fresh weight per plant also increased significantly with the combination of Ae at 1% and KSi at 30 g L−1 under normal soil conditions.
