Impact of foliar application of silicon on salinity tolerance of two olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars

Salt stress is a major limiting factor for the growth and productivity of plants worldwide. This factorial experiment within a randomized complete block design with three replications was carried out to study the influence of foliar spray with three levels of silicon (K2SiO3) (0, 100, and 200 mg. L−1) on the effect of four concentrations of water salinity (1.6, 3, 6, and 9 dS/m−1) in two olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars (bashiki and Shami). Most of the seedling cultivars were one-year-old. The results showed that the Bashiki cultivars were significantly better than Shami by giving the best values for the height of the seedlings, leaves number, and percentage of the mineral element. It was observed that treatment with 9 dS/m−1 is negatively influenced in the two varieties in vegetative properties and the percentage of N, P, K but an increase of sodium, chloride, and proline in leaves. Moreover, treatment of silicon (100 mg L−1) reduced the salinity effects on the olive seedlings. The results of the interaction between the study factors showed that plants treated with the combination of (1.6 dS/m−1+ silicon (100 mg L−1)) led to an increase in all studied trait. We found considerable differences between the two cultivars. silicon treatments can reduce the reverse effects of salinity on olive cultivars.