Investigating the effect of shallow and saline groundwater on meeting water needs and its impact on the yield of Moringa oleifera tree in greenhouse and field environments

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Water Science and Engineering. Faculty of Agriculture, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

2 Department of Water Science and Engineering. Faculty of Agriculture, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

3 Department of Plant Production and Genetics of Science and Engineering. Faculty of Agriculture, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

Abstract

Method: This research was conducted in a completely randomized factorial design with three replications. The treatments applied included groundwater with salinity levels of 1 (water of the study area), 2, 6, and 10  at three water table depths of 0.6, 0.8, and 1.1 m.
 
Results: In both greenhouse and field conditions, groundwater contribution to plant water use increased as groundwater depth decreased at all salinity levels; the highest dry leaf, calcium, and iron yields were obtained at 1 dS m⁻¹ salinity and 0.6 m depth, while the lowest were at 10 dS m⁻¹ and 1.1 m, whereas nitrogen content showed the opposite trend.
 
Conclusions: The results indicate that the closer the groundwater is to the soil surface (shallow groundwater), the easier it is for plants to use this source, allowing them to meet a greater percentage of their water needs through groundwater. However, in none of the treatments was the plant's water requirement 100% met through groundwater. The results obtained in this study also indicate the significant effects of different groundwater depths and their quality on dry leaf yield, calcium, iron, and nitrogen in the greenhouse and research field environments

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Advanced Technologies in Water Efficiency
Volume 6, Issue 1
February 2026
Pages 102-125

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History

  • Receive Date: 21 June 2025
  • Revise Date: 04 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 21 December 2025

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