Influence of potassium and boron on growth and chemical composition of Cucumber (Armenia sp.) irrigated by saline water

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted at farmer's field, Kerdasa, El–Giza governorate, Egypt during two winter seasons of (2019/2020) to study the effects of soil-applied potassium fertilization (0, 50, 75, 100 kg K2O fed) and boron foliar spray (0, 50, 100 and 150 ppm) and their interaction on growth and chemical composition of cucumber plant irrigated by saline water. The results indicated that soil application of potassium and boron foliar spray successfully mitigated the deleterious effects of salt stress and influenced the growth and nutrient content of the cucumber plant. Soil application of 100 kg K2O fed combined with 150 ppm boron foliar spray improved the growth and chemical constituents of cucumber, in terms of chlorophyll (SPAD), the tissue water content of leaves and fruit, fresh and dry weight, fruit length and diameter, and nutrient content (N, P, and K) of fruits in both the first and second cut, while reduced the sodium content. The combined treatment of potassium at 100 kg K2O fedand boron spraying at 150 ppm was found to be more effective for the cucumber plant to enhance the growth performance and the nutrient content as compared with the control under saline water irrigation conditions.