Effects of irrigation water quality on loquat plant nutrition: Sensitivity of loquat plant to salinity

An investigation was conducted to study the possible use of municipal wastewater for watering loquat plants, and to determine the effects of this water on nutrient status of two-year-old loquat plants (Eriobotriae japonica L.) during two complete vegetative cycles. The plants, grafted on franco and Anger stocks, were planted on major soils of the area of La Marina Baixa. Plants (grafted on franco stock), irrigated with this wastewater, suffered from foliar necrosis, and all of them died at the end of the experiment, whereas only 12.5% of the plants watered with municipal drinking water died at the same period of time. The Anger stock proved to be much more resistant to salinity than the franco stock. Therefore, medium quality waters (wastewater and saline water) can be used for the irrigation of loquat trees grafted on Anger stock, without causing damages on plant nutrition.