EFFECT OF IRRIGATION WITH SALINE WATER ON THE GROWTH OF THREE TYPES OF CITRUS GRAFTED ON THE SOUR ORANGE ROOTSTOCK

This study was conducted to compare three types of citrus trees, which are Citrus reticulate, Citrus sinensis and Citrus limon grafted on Citrus aurantium (sour orange) rootstock in their response to irrigation with saline water by measuring the content of the studied citrus leaves of nitrogen, potassium, iron, phosphorous, calcium and magnesium. The experiment was conducted in a private orchard in Al-Kifl District, Babylon province in the year 2020 and the two-year-age trees under study were irrigated with irrigation water with a concentration of 1.3 and 2.5 dS/m. The results indicated a significant decrease in the content of the studied citrus leaves from the elements nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium by increasing the salt concentration to 2.5 dS/m in the irrigation water and phosphorus recorded a significant increase with the increase in the salinity of the irrigation water. The three types of citrus irrigated with water of a concentration of 2.5 dS/m differed among themselves in their content of elements. Lemon trees irrigated with water of a concentration of 2.5 dS/m were superior to the orange and Mandarin plants in the content of their leaves of iron and potassium.