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Abstract Two pot and field experiments were carried out to study the response and tolerance of wheat plants to soil salinity under different levels of soil moisture. The experiments were conducted at Shandawel Agricultural Research Station, Sohag. The results of the first pot experiment showed that:- 1 - An obvious decrease in the dry weight of plant shoots as a result of either increasing soil salinity more than 21.8 mmhos/cm or decreasing soil moisture cont¬ent to 50% of the field capacity (F.C.). At the above level of salinity the amounts of decreases in the fresh and dry weight were 85 and 82% respectively less than the plant grown on non-saline soils. 2 - No differences in plant fresh and dry weight were observed by changing CaC12:NaCl ratios used in the artificial salinization. 3 - A significant decrease in Zn, Fe and Cu uptake were found by increasing salinity level and moisture depression. 4 - The concentration of Zn in the plant tissue of shoots was significantly increased by increasing soil salinity up to 15.5 mmhos/cm. Beyond this level zinc concentration declined with the higher level of salinity. 5 - Decreasing soil moisture content significantly increased zinc concentration in plants tissue. How¬ever, copper concentration had not been affected by soil moisture stress or salinity. 6 - Increasing soil salinity level from 0.9 to 21.8 mmhos/cm increased the release as DrPA extractable Zn from 2.26 to 3.18 ppm, while the release of iron from the soil decreased from 12.53 to 6.74 ppm. How¬ever, copper release from the soil had not been aff¬ected by salinization. |