Effect of irrigation frequency and selenium fertilization on the vegetative growth and biomass yield of Moringa oleifera and Moringa peregrina

Abstract

To maximize the production value of Moringa species, there is a need to understand the morphological effect of irrigation frequency and Se fertilizer levels on Moringa species' growth and development. Hence, the aim of this trial was to determine the combined effect of irrigation frequency and Selenium (Se) fertilizer levels on the growth of Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) and Moringa peregrina (M. peregrina) in the central region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A split-plot arrangement was used, where the treatments were arranged in a Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD) with three replicates, as the study included two plant species (M. oleifera and M. peregrina), four irrigation frequencies (7, 10, 15, and 20 days), and three Se levels (0.0, 12.5 and 25 mg/L foliar spray). M. peregrina showed slow emergence and plant establishment as compared to M. oleifera. The results indicated that plant height, leaves and stems fresh weight increased with the increase in Se level, and were highest when the two plant species were irrigated every 10 days which surpassed all other irrigation frequencies. The findings of this research study indicated that the two Moringa species, particularly M. oleifera could successfully be grown using drip irrigation at a 10-days irrigation frequency.

Influence of Irrigation on Biomass Partitioning in Above- and Belowground Organs of Trees Planted in Desert Sites of Mongolia

“…The present study sheds light on the growth and development of U. pumila, T. ramosissima, and E. moorcroftii, trees and investigates if/how biomass is partitioned in aboveand below-ground organs in different tree species responds to variations of the irrigation regimes. The first important result emerging from this work is that, unlike other tree species [64,65], we demonstrate that U. pumila, T. ramosissima, and E. moorcroftii can grow and develop in the presence of a low irrigation regime such as 4 L h −1 . Despite the fact that in our experimental settings we have not included the inclusion of a barrier able to avoid the movement of water among soil parcels subjected to different irrigation regimes (i.e., the impossibility to correctly correlate the growth response of the trees with the amount of water available in the soil receiving a specific irrigation regime), we show that also the lowest irrigation regime is sufficient to ensure the full development of all their above-and belowground organs.…”

Soil Moisture, Nutrients, and Plant Growths under Various Irrigation and Fertilization Regimes during the Crop Replacement Period in an Alley Intercropping System on the Loess Plateau of China

“…Additionally, irrigation and fertilizer input can increase soil moisture and nutrient content, as well as root density, which in turn increases the niche overlap of the roots and the intensity of competition for water and fertilizer [13]. Therefore, to maximize the positive effects of irrigation and fertilization, it is important to consider the potential negative impacts of excessive application, such as excessive vegetative growth and soil nutrient leaching [14,15], and use reasonable amounts of both to increase plant photosynthesis, growth, and root system development.…”