Effect of Different Levels of Saline Irrigation Water and Potassium application on Some Chemical Properties of Three Varieties of Turfgrasses

Abstract

This study was conducted at the Research Station and Agricultural Experimentation – College of Agriculture - Kirkuk University during the agricultural season 2018 on three varieties of turfgrass, one of which is winter turfgrass (Tall fescue) and two of which are summer turfgrass (Argentina Bahiagrass and Bermudagrass), irrigated by four different levels of irrigation water (1.7, 5, 10, and 15 dS/m) and two levels of Potassium (K2SO4) fertilizer (zero and recommended) , in order to determine the effect of different varieties and application of potassium fertilization on turfgrass tolerance to irrigation water salinity. Results showed the difference of the three varieties in their ability to tolerate salinity, where Tall fescue surpassed the other two. It was also found that increasing the salinity levels of irrigation water resulted in increasing the content of the leaves of proline and sodium. No significant effect was observed on leaf content of chlorophyll. Potassium fertilization resulted in a negligible increase in leaf content of proline, sodium, potassium and chlorophyll.