Wheat Growth in Chloride and Sulphate Dominant Saline Soils and the Effect of Phosphorus Application

In a greenhouse study wheat was grown in chloride and sulphate (two levels) dominant saline sandy soil with 25, 50 and 100 ppm added P. The Cl (1) and SO₄ (1) treatments contained 80 m.e. and Cl (2) and SO₄ (2) 120 m.e./1 of the respective salts in saturation extract. Plant growth in Cl (1) and Cl (2) was significantly improved with each increase in P level up to 100 ppm whereas it was unaffected in non-saline control and SO₄ (1) up to 50 ppm and in SO₄ (2) up to 100 ppm P. Plant growth was increased by 50–58 per cent in Cl and 7–24 per cent in SO₄ dominant saline soils relative to 11 per cent in control, when the P level was increased from 25 to 100 ppm. Plant chloride content was decreased significantly whereas that of sulphur was increased with the increasel in soil P. Phosphorus uptake was minimum in chloride satility and maximum in control. Results suggested that P requirement of wheat would be more under chloride than under sulphate dominant saline conditions.