EFFECT OF FERTILIZATION WITH POTASSIUM AND BIOFERTILIZA TION WITH YEAST ON THE TOLERANCE OF HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA L. PLANTS TO IRRIGATION WITH SALINE WATER

The present work was conducted during two successive seasons of 1999 and
2000 at the Agricultural Research Station or kIng Abdulaziz Univ. at Hoda AI-Sham
area, Saudi Arabia to study the effect of using1ive levels of potassium (0.0, 18.0, 36.0.
54.0 and 72.0 kg KJred) and/or three concentralionsofyeast (0.0, 0.2 and 0.4%) on
plant height, number or branches and fruits per ptant, fresh and dry weights of leaves,
stern, roots, sepals and fruits, anlhocyanines and f1avones of Hibiscus sabdarjffa L
plants irrigated with saline groundwater (EC. 2.44 csm''), SoU appllcation or K and
spraying yeasl were done three times at 45.90 and 135 days from SOwing.
Results showed that usin9 K and yeast was very effective in enhancing all
growth criteria, anthocyanine and ftavones compared 10 untreated and irrigated with
saline water plants. The ptomotion on the studied parameters was associated with
Increasing K levels from 0.0 to 72.0 kglfed and Yeast concentrations from 0.0 to 0.4%
.Meaningless increase 01 the investigated characters was observed between the
higher two doses of K and Ihe higher two concentrations of yeast.
One can state Ihal supplying Hibiscus sttbdarjlfa plants grown under saline
conditions with K al54 kglfed incorporated with spraying 0.2% yeast three times was
necessary for alleviating the adverse effects of water sa Unity on growth traits and
chemical constituents.