Effect of Irrigation with Magnetized Water and Foliar Spraying with Humic Acid on Seedling Growth of Squash Plant (Cucurbita pepo L.) Under Salinity Stress

Abstract

The experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of magnetic water (MW 14500 Gauss) and humic acid (HA 30 ppm) on the germination and growth of squash plants (Cucurbita pepo L.) exposed to salinity stress. Salinity stress was imposed by irrigation with saline water at concentrations of 1700, 2700, and 3700 ppm in addition to a control (tap water). The results showed that with increasing salinity stress, all vegetative growth parameters, seed germination ratio, and photosynthetic pigments decreased. On the other hand, foliar application of HA and irrigation with MW had a favorable impact on increasing vegetative traits and photosynthetic pigments. These results give a positive indication of the use of HA and MW to ameliorate the negative effects of salinity on squash plants.