Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Garden design department, Bakrajo Technical Institute, Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Sulaimani , Iraq
Abstract
The goal of the study was to investigate the impact of irrigation water pH on the growth, physiological performance, and yield of broad beans (Vicia faba) grown in pots in an open field during the 2024–2025 growing season at Bakrajo Technical Institute using a completely randomized design (CRD). Five irrigation water pH levels (4.5, 5.0, 6.0, 7.5, and 8.0) were used for assessing seven agronomic and physiological variables. ANOVA and Duncan's Multiple Comparison Test were used to evaluate for differences in treatment means. While there were no statistically significant variations in height or chlorophyll content between treatments, indicating tolerance to little pH deviations, chlorophyll values were lowest and accurate at 8.0. Conversely, pH had a considerable impact on yield, dry matter biomass, shoot and root weight, and leaf number. The optimal values for the traits were observed at slightly acidic to neutral conditions (pH 5.0–7.5), while there was a sharp and statistically significant decline noted at pH 8.0, indicating severe suppression of growth under alkaline stress. Correlation analysis also indicated significant, positive correlation between vegetative characters and yield and selected shoot weight, plant height, and leaf number as reliable predictors of productivity. There was minimal to no relationship between SPAD chlorophyll measurements and yield and biomass. According to the results, broad beans grow on irrigation water with a pH of 5.0 to 7.5 and are quite sensitive to alkalinity. These findings highlight how essential it is to monitor and regulate irrigation water pH to optimize broad bean yields, especially when alkaline water sources are utilized.
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