Greenhouse study was conducted to determine the effect of boron and sodium, in irrigation water, on the growth of Acacia saligna, Casuarina glauca and Eucalyptus camaldulensis seedlings grown in soil, and the percentage of their root infection by vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae, Rhizobium and Frankia.
The results showed that irrigation water containing 2 ppm B + 100 mM Na gave the highest dry weight of roots of A. saligna and E. camaldulensis, while the highest dry weights of leaves and stems of A. saligna were obtained at 1 ppm B + 50 mM Na and also at 2 ppm B + 50 mM Na for E. camaldulensis. The highest dry weight of root of C. glauca was obtained with irrigation water containing 4 ppm B + 100 mM Na and the highest dry weight of leaves and stems were obtained at 1 ppm B + 50 to 150 mM Na.
The highest percentage of root infection by mycorrhizae of A. saligna was obtained with 4 ppm B and 50 mM Na. However, the root infection by Rhizobium was high at the combination of 2 ppm B and 150 mM Na. The highest percentage of root infection of C. glauca by mycorrhizae occurred with 1 ppm B and 2 ppm B by Frankia. The result showed that the highest root infection by Mycorrhizae and Frankia were obtained at 150 mM Na. The maximum root infection percentage by Mycorrhizae for E. camaldensis seedlings was obtained at the treatment of 1 ppm B and 50 mM Na.
Key words: boron, sodium, Acacia saligna, Casuarina glauca and Eucalyptus camaldulensis.
Correspondence: Khairia S. Abouelkhair, Dept. of Forestry & Wood Tech. and Dept. of Soil & Water Sci., Faculty of Agric., Alexandria University, Egypt