Influence of fluoride and phosphorous on growth, yield and mineral composition of barley grown in soils of varied sodicity

Abstract

Fluoride (F) is known to stimulate growth of many plant species but when absorbed in excessive amount is likely to be toxic to plants, animals and human beings. A screen house experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design to investigate the effect of varying levels of fluoride (0, 40, 80 and 160 mg/kg soil) and phosphorus (0, 12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg soil) at two ESP levels (6.2 and 27.1) replicated thrice on the growth, yield and mineral composition of barley. The results revealed that increasing F concentration decreased growth parameters and dry matter yield especially at high ESP; however, application of phosphorous (P) increased growth and yield. Fluoride and P interacted significantly in affecting dry matter yield and mineral composition and adverse effect of added F was neutralized by higher application of P. Fluoride concentration in grain and straw was greater in high ESP soil as compared to low ESP soil because of the higher solubility of added F at high ESP. application of P decreased the F content of the plant thus aided in reducing the toxic effect of F on growth. The application of fluoride resulted in decreased concentration of K and Ca and increased concentration of Na in both the grain and straw and reverse was the case for P. The application of F and P resulted in decreased concentration of micronutrients i.e. Zn, Cu, Mn and Fe in both the grain and straw.