Growth and Mineral Status of Panicum Plants Responses to Foliar Fertilizers and Salt Stress

A POT experiment conducted aiming to evaluate the response of three genotypes of panicum to salt stress in the greenhouse of the National Research Centre in Dokki, Cairo, Egypt during the summer season of 2018. The treatments were as follows: Genotypes: Local, White imp and Dark imp. Salinity: Tap water (270 ppm), 3000 and 6000 ppm. The obtained results showed that: the highest stem weight shown by local variety but the lowest was by the weight imported. In case of leaves, the highest weight was by Dark imported variety and the lowest was by local variety. Concerning the top dry weight, the dark imported was the first, and local and white imported seemed to be equal. The concentrations of N, Ca and K increased with the moderate salinity and tended to decreased by the highest level of salinity but still more than the control. The reverse was true for Mn concentration. On the contrarily, Cu and Zn decreased as the concentration of salt increased. But vice versa for Fe concentration. Na ratios to some of the other macronutrients such as Na/K, Na/Ca and Na/Mg as well as Ca (Na + k) differ in different panicum types and level of salinity used.