Influence of vermicompost and sodium chloride on growth of spinach and some chemical properties of post-harvest soil

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of vermicompost and sodium chloride (NaCl) on growth of spinach cv. Viroflay and some chemical properties of post-harvest soil. The greenhouse experiment was factorial, arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. Treatments included three vermicompost levels (0, 1 and 2% w/w) and four salinity levels (0, 1, 2 and 3 gr NaCl/kg soil, equivalent to 0.7, 4.5, 8 and 11.5 dS/m, respectively). The highest relative yield of spinach shoots was obtained by application of 10% vermicompost, whereas, application of NaCl had no significant effect on relative yield of spinach shoots. Application of vermicompost increased mean leaf area and chlorophyll of shoots, organic matter (OM), electrical conductivity (EC), total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) of post-harvest soil. Addition of NaCl increased EC, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na and Cl of post-harvest soil, but had no significant effect on leaf area and chlorophyll content of shoots, OM and N of post-harvest soil. Addition of vermicompost had positive effect on spinach growth and plant nutrients availability in post-harvest soil. However, increased soil salinity, especially when high level of vermicompost is applied, should be considered. Application of NaCl, even up to the salinity of 11.5 dS/m, didn’t decrease significantly the spinach yield. Therefore, Viroflay cultivar could be introduced as a relatively resistant to salinity; although, before any recommendations, it is needed to do further experiments, especially under field conditions, to confirm the results of this study