Sains Malaysiana 43(11)(2014): 1665–1671

Growth Characteristics, Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiencies of Spinach

in Different Water and Nitrogen Levels

(Ciri Pertumbuhan, Air dan Kecekapan Penggunaan Nitrogen Bayam

dalam Tahap Air dan Nitrogen yang Berbeza)

JINXIU ZHANG^1,2, ZHIGANG BEI³, YI ZHANG² & LINKUI CAO²*

¹School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Shanghai 200240, China

²Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, P.R.C., Shanghai 200240, China

³Water Science and Technology Park in Qingpu District, Shanghai, 201700, China

Received: 24 October 2013/Accepted: 20 March 2014

ABSTRACT

Water deficit and environmental pollution owing to excessive nitrogen use have caused considerable attention. In a field experiment, a combination of three water levels (20, 40 and 60 cm) and nitrogen fertilizer rates (0, 85 and 170 kg ha-1) was applied. The main objectives of this study were to optimize water and nitrogen application and exploit their interactive effects on the growth characteristics, yield and water and nitrogen use efficiency of spinach. The results showed that water and nitrogen significantly influenced average plant height and leaf area. Total aboveground biomass (TB) was affected by nitrogen fertilizer and TB decreased in water deficit. Adding nitrogen fertilizer amount resulted in higher leaf chlorophyll content and chlorophyll content obtained the maximum value in N2 treatment, but chlorophyll content was not affected by water deficit. Spinach yield was higher at N1 compared with N0 and N2 at all water levels. Abundant water supply resulted in the highest spinach yield, but yield reduced at lower water level (W3). The correlation analysis between spinach yield and leaf number was relatively weak (R2=0.58). On the contrast, the correlation analysis between spinach yield and leaf weight showed a correlationship (R2=0.91), indicating that leaf weight was the primary reason for yield increase in all treatments. Nitrogen fertilization significantly decreased NUE in all the treatments. WUE of spinach increased with adding nitrogen application in most conditions.

Keywords: Biomass; growth; nitrogen use efficiency; water; yield

ABSTRAK

Defisit air dan pencemaran alam sekitar yang disebabkan oleh penggunaan nitrogen secara berlebihan telah mendapat perhatian umum. Dalam kajian yang dijalankan, gabungan tiga peringkat air (20, 40 dan 60 cm) dan kadar baja nitrogen (0, 85 dan 170 kg ha-1) telah digunakan. Objektif utama kajian ini adalah untuk mengoptimumkan aplikasi air dan nitrogen dan mengeksploitasi kesan interaktif ciri-ciri pertumbuhan, hasil serta air dan nitrogen menggunakan kecekapan bayam. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa air dan nitrogen ketara mempengaruhi purata ketinggian pokok dan luas daun. Jumlah biojisim atas permukaan tanah (TB) terjejas akibat baja nitrogen dan TB menurun dalam defisit air. Tambahan jumlah baja nitrogen telah meningkatkan kandungan klorofil daun yang tinggi dan kandungan klorofil telah mencapai nilai maksimum dalam rawatan N2 tetapi kandungan klorofil tidak terjejas akibat kekurangan air. Hasil bayam adalah lebih tinggi pada N1 berbanding N0 dan N2 dalam semua peringkat air. Bekalan air yang banyak telah menghasilkan jumlah bayam yang tinggi, tetapi hasil berkurangan pada tahap air yang lebih rendah (W3). Analisis korelasi antara hasil bayam dan jumlah daun adalah agak lemah (R2= 0.58). Sebaliknya, analisis korelasi antara hasil bayam dan berat daun menunjukkan hubungan korelasi (R2= 0.91) yang menunjukkan bahawa berat daun adalah sebab utama peningkatan hasil dalam semua rawatan. Pembajaan nitrogen ketara menurunkan NUE dalam semua rawatan. WUE bayam meningkat dengan penambahan aplikasi nitrogen dalam kebanyakan keadaan.

Kata kunci: Air; biojisim; hasil; kecekapan penggunaan nitrogen; pertumbuhan

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*Corresponding author; email: clk2001@126.com