COMPARATIVE EFFECT OF SOIL AND FOLIAR APPLIED FeSO₄ AND ZnSO₄ FOR MAIZE GROWTH UNDER SALINE CONDITIONS

Maize is the essential cereal crop and which is the basic necessity of food and oil for human consumption. Throughout the world it is also used as feed for livestock hut this crop is usually susceptible to salinity. Growth and productivity of crop inhibit by the salinity that is the most important abiotic stress and it is one of the world's oldest and most commonly distributed environmental challenges. With the objective to combat salinity stress in maize a pot culture study was conducted to investigate the yield performance of the selected maize genotypes against salinity using different soil and foliar application of FeSO4 and ZnSO4. Treatments included of all possible combinations of soil application of Zn (2.65 and 5.30g ZnSO4 per pot) and Fe application of (3.00 and 6.00 g FeSO4 per pot) and foliar application of Zn (17 and 34 g L-1 as ZnSO4) and Fe (14 and 30g L-1 as FeSO4). The foliar application of FeSO4 and ZnSO4 was applied on maize foliage at 5th leaf stage. Foliar spraying of micronutrients under these conditions could be much more efficient than soil application of nutrients to the crops. By the Use of foliar spraying of micronutrients plant tolerance to salinity by alleviating Na and Cl injury to plants can be increased. It was concluded that in saline soil maize yield may improve by the application of ZnSO4 and FeSO4 and increase of the concentration in maize grains can improve human nourishment.