Title: Salinity stress mitigation of Egyptian cotton using poly ethylene glycol and algae extract

Biography:

Azza Salama graduated from Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University in 2000. I obtained my MSc in 2006 and my PhD in 2011 from the same institute. I am a specialist in Botany. My interest area of research in plant morphology, anatomy, taxonomy and ecology to enhance plant development and productivity with specific focus on improvement of plant tolerance and resistance to growth inhibitory factors (biotic and/or abiotic). I published more than 18 research articles in international journals.

Abstract

A trail was conducted at the greenhouse of the Cotton Research Institute, Agric. Res. Cent., Giza, Egypt, during 2016 and 2017 seasons on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. Giza 90) in order to study the response of cotton plant to Algae extract and Poly Ethylene Glycol (PEG) under irrigation by saline water (control, 4000 and 8000 ppm). Results indicated that, the lowest values of plant height, number of fruiting branches/plant, number of open bolls/plant, boll weight, seed index and seed cotton yield/plant, were obtained when plants irrigated with 8000 ppm, while, lint percentage was significantly increased. Such treatment induced inhibitive effect on anatomical structures of both stem and leaf of cotton. Irrigation with saline water decreased stem diameter due to the prominent decrease in all included tissues (cortex, phloem and xylem tissues as well as vessel diameter). Likewise, saline water decreased thickness of both midvein and lamina of leaflet blades of cotton. The decrease in lamina thickness was accompanied with decrements in thickness of palisade and spongy tissues compared with the control. Also, the main vascular bundle of the midvein was decreased in size. PEG gave the highest averages of plant height and number of fruiting branches/plant, followed by plants sprayed with Algae extract. Treating plants with Algae extract and PEG significantly increased the values of leaf and stem anatomical characters. Moreover, the increase induced stem diameter by foliar application with Algae extract and PEG could be as a results of increases in all included tissues of main stem.