Effect of Gypsum Application on Salinity Stress Mitigation at Different Growth Stages of Boro Rice cv. BRRI dhan47
Nilufar Yeasmin Jolly
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.
Salina Pervin
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.
Md. Sohel Rana *
Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.
Md Roconuzzaman Nasim
Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.
Monisha Biswas
Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Md. Abdul Wahed Khan
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.
Md. Anisur Rahman
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.
Masum Billah
Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.
Md. Foyez Ahmed
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202 Bangladesh.
Mahfuza Begum
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.
Md. Abdul Kader
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Salinity is a critical abiotic stress in Bangladesh, severely limiting rice growth and yield due to the crop's high sensitivity to saline conditions. While gypsum application is known to mitigate salinity stress, its effects on different growth stages of rice under varying salinity levels remain inadequately explored. To address this gap, a study was conducted in the net house of the Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh (24.75°N, 90.5°E), during the Boro season (November 2023 to April 2024). The experiment employed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four salinity levels (0, 4, 8, and 12 dS m-1) and three gypsum levels (0, 1, and 2 g gypsum kg-1 soil) applied across three growth stages: tillering, panicle initiation, and flowering. Results demonstrated that high salinity (120 mM NaCl) significantly reduced plant height (9.63%), tiller number (7.8%), leaf area index (19.32%), and grain yield (24.19%) compared to the control. In contrast, gypsum application at 2 g kg-1 soil effectively mitigated salinity stress, enhancing leaf area index (5%), root length (2%), and grain yield (29.55%) over the control. Moreover, it recovered almost 8% grain yield under highly saline conditions. The findings highlight gypsum's potential as a practical and effective soil amendment for improving rice performance in saline environments. Future research should investigate the long-term effects of gypsum application under field conditions and explore its integration with complementary agronomic practices for sustainable rice production.
Keywords: Salinity; abiotic stress, gypsum, tillering, panicle initiation, flowering, Leaf Area Index (LAI)