| Abstract: |
Two pot experiments were carried out during two successive winter seasons of 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 in the wire-house of Agric. Bot. and Plant Path. Dept., Fac. Agric., Zagazig University, to evaluate the efficiency of pre-sowing seeds exposure to γ-irradiation doses, i.e.; 0.5, 1, 3, 5 or 7 k-rad beside unirradiated seeds (control); different sea water dilutes, i.e.; 1500, 2000, 4000 or 6000 ppm salinity levels beside tap water (control) for irrigation and their interactions on botanical characters of pea plants cv. Master B.Increasing γ-irradiation rate from 0 to 3 K-rad significantly increased plant height, number of leaves/plant, fresh and dry weight of (root, stem and leaves), chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll (a+ b) and carotenoids concentration in leaf tissues. In addition proline concentration and catalase activity in pea leaves, percentage of NPK, protein, total carbohydrate, and total soluble sugars in seeds were also increased. The thickness of blade, palisade tissue, spongy tissue and midvein bundle of pea leaves were increased under γ-irradiation doses up to 3 K-rad. While further increase in γ-rays up to 7 K-rad decreased all the above-mentioned characters, except proline concentration and catalase activity in leaves tissue which linearly increased with increasing irradiation up to the highest dose (7 K-rad). There was a significantly decreased in all the previously mentioned traits (morphological, anatomical and some physiological traits) with increasing the salinity up to the highest used concentration (6000 ppm). On the contrary, proline percentage and catalase activity in leaves were increased with increasing salinity levels up to 6000 ppm. The differences between control treatments (tap water) and 1500 ppm salinity level was not significant in most of studied characters. The best beneficial interaction treatment for increasing the abovementioned traits was pre-sowing treating pea seeds with 3 K-rad γ-irradiation and irrigation with tap water (control).
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