Effects of Super-Absorbent Polymers (SAPs) Plus Manure Treatments on Vegetation Cover and Soil Nutrients of Festuca ovina under Drought Stress

Knowledge of physiological and environmental factors is important for forage grass production. Festuca ovina is a grass species adapted to Azerbaijan region climate, Iran. This species is a valuable source for forage production and soil conservation. Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) are three most important plant nutrients. The aims of present study were to investigate the effects of super absorbance polymer and cattle manure on vegetation growth and soil NPK element of Festuca ovina under drought stress. A split-plot design was used with drought stress as the main plot (control, -0.3 and -0.9 Mp) and polymer +fertilizer as the sub factor (T1: control, T2: 50 g manure, T3: 5 g polymer, T4: 5 g polymer + 50g manure, T5: 10 g polymer, and T6: 10 g polymer + 50g manure) in five replications. N, P and K contents of soil samples were determined before and after the experiment using Kjeldal, P-Olsen and flame photometer methods. The data of NPK and two cuts of vegetation covers were collected and analyzed using SAS software. The results showed that the application of polymer and manure had positive effects on all the traits. Higher values of vegetation covers were observed in T4 and T6 treatments where both polymer and manure were applied. Higher values of NPK with the average values of 0.69%, 21 ppm, and 395 ppm, respectively were observed in T6: (10 g polymer + 50g manure) and the higher vegetation cover with the average values of 82% and 46% were obtained in the first and second cuts, respectively at the same treatments. Since there were no significant differences between T6 and T4, it was recommended to apply 5g polymer coupled with 50g cattle manure in 4300 g of soil to improve grass production in drought environment.