The Effect of Different Concentrations of Irrigation Water Salinity and the Hormone Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) on Some Morphophysiological and Productive Traits of Soft Wheat Cultivars Buhuth 4 and Golan 2

Abstract

This study was conducted in the greenhouse of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering at Lattakia University during the 2022 growing season to evaluate the effects of different irrigation water salinity levels and the application of indole acetic acid (IAA) on selected morphological and yield traits of two bread wheat cultivars, Bohouth 4 and Golan 2. The grains were grown in plastic bags using a completely randomized design with three replications. IAA was applied either by soaking the grains (7 ppm) or by foliar spraying (0.5 ppm). Plants were irrigated with saline water at electrical conductivities of 5, 10, and 15 dS/m, in addition to a non‑saline control.

The results showed that saline irrigation markedly reduced growth and yield parameters, whereas IAA treatments—both soaking and spraying—enhanced plant tolerance to salt stress and improved yield‑related traits. The cultivar Golan 2 exhibited superior performance, recording the highest grain weight per plant (9.11 g) under the control treatment. In contrast, Bohouth 4 achieved the highest average number of grains per spike (29.5) when irrigated at 5 dS/m and treated with IAA soaking.