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چکیده
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Irrigation water quality significantly impacts plant cultivation. Milk thistle (Silybum Marianum L.) is considered one of the most important medicinal plants for the treatment of liver diseases due to the presence of flavonolignans in its fruits. It has low water requirements, so if the performance of this plant is examined in conditions with poor water quality, it can be introduced as one of the suitable medicinal species for arid and semi-arid regions that face the problem of water shortage. The aim was to investigate how poor-quality irrigation water affects the growth of Silybum Marianum L. Irrigation water samples with sodium absorption ratios (SAR) of 3, 11, 18.5, 27, and 35 were prepared by combining NaCl and CaCl2 salts, resulting in EC values of 1, 2.5, 5, 8.5, and 11.7 dS/m, respectively. Distilled water served as the control. After disinfection, seeds were placed in Petri dishes under controlled conditions in a germinator. Germinated seeds were then transferred to 3 kg pots with sandy loam soil and kept in a greenhouse. During growth, water content was maintained at F.C. by weighing the pots daily. After 20 weeks, plants were harvested, and plant height, leaf area, and dry weight of the aerial part were measured.The results showed, increasing SAR to 27 and 35 levels caused a 52 and 95 percent reduction in plant height, respectively. The leaf area in the control sample decreased from 174 to 71 cm2/plant at SAR equal to 27. Also, plant dry weight decreased by 40 percent from 1.62 g/plant in the control sample to 0.98 g/plant at SAR 37. The finding indicated that the decrease in the quality of irrigation water caused a significant decrease in the studied characteristics. In general, according to the results obtained, it seems that milk thistle does not have high resistance to salinity.
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