Effective maize cultivation in saline soils requires strategies to improve seed germination, enhance early seedling establishment, and reduce salt-induced stress during growth. This study aimed to evaluate the combined effects of silicon seed priming and conservation tillage practices, including wheat straw mulching, on maize performance in saline soils. The study involved two stages: a laboratory experiment and a field trial. In the lab, maize seeds were soaked in four silicon concentrations (0, 160, 320, and 480 mg L⁻¹) for 12 h and germinated under four salinity levels (1, 4, 8, and 12 dS m⁻¹). The optimal concentration was identified and applied in a field experiment on saline soil (10 dS m⁻¹) using a split-plot design with four tillage treatments: conservation tillage and traditional tillage, each with and without wheat straw mulch. Silicon priming significantly improved seed germination and seedling emergence under saline conditions. In the field, conservation tillage with wheat straw mulch notably reduced soil electrical conductivity and pH. EC declined below 4 dS m⁻¹ by the fourth irrigation, and pH fell below 7 by the third irrigation. These treatments led to improved plant growth parameters and significantly higher maize yields compared to traditional tillage or non-mulched plots. Silicon seed priming combined with conservation tillage and straw mulch offers an effective, sustainable strategy to mitigate salinity stress and improve maize productivity in saline soils, especially in arid and semi-arid regions.
Lahmod et al. (Thu,) studied this question.