Effect of using mulches at different levels of irrigation water salinity on some characteristics of forage corn (Zea mays L.)

Nowadays, mulch types are used to improve environmental conditions for plant growth in terms of irrigation water and soil quality. Production and cultivation of forage plants in arable lands, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, is very important, because it reduces grazing pressure on rangelands. In order to evaluate the effect of mulch types on some plant characteristics of forage maize at different salinity levels of irrigation water, this study was conducted in a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with three replications. Treatments were consisted of four types of mulch, including acrylic resin, acrylic resin containing 3% nanoclay, plastic mulch and no mulch (control), and four salinity levels of 0.5, 2.5, 4, and 7 ds/m. The results showed that the application of mulches improved the plant characteristics of forage maize compared to the control treatment and reduced the severity of the negative effects of irrigation water salinity. The highest dry weight of shoot and total biomass were observed in acrylic resin treatment with nanoclay with salinity of 4ds/m compared to other treatments. Plastic mulch also affected the number of forage corn leaves. According to the results of the present study, it seems that these mulch types can be used to reduce the salinity effects of irrigation water on forage crop cultivation.