Effect of Nitrogen, Salinity and Organic Matter on Growth and Root Morphology of Pistachio

To study the effect of nitrogen, salinity and organic matter on growth and root morphology of pistachio (Cv. Badami), a greenhouse experiment was conducted. Treatments consisted of four nitrogen (N) levels (0, 60, 120 and 180 mg kg-1 soil as urea), four salinity levels (0, 800, 1600 and 2400 mg NaCl kg-1 soil) and three organic matter (OM) levels (0, 2 and 4% soil as farmyard manure). Treatments were arranged in a factorial manner in a completely randomized design with three replications. As the salinity levels increased, leaf, stem and root dry weights and root density, were significantly reduced. Addition of N up to 120 mg kg-1 soil, had no significant effect on growth, but the highest N level (180 mg kg-1), due to nutrient imbalance, reduced abovementioned plant parameters. In low salinity levels, N application improved the growth of pistachio seedlings, but at the highest salinity level, N addition didn’t suppress the adverse effects of soil salinity. Due to useful physical and nutritional properties of soil organic matter, addition of OM significantly increased leaf, stem and root dry weights, stem height, shoot/root ratio and root density.