THE EFFECT OF COW MANURE FERTILIZATION ON MEMBRANE DAMAGE DIMINISHED YIELD IN DEFICIT-IRRIGATED WHITE CABBAGE

The present study examined the potential of cow manure fertilization to mitigate membrane damage,

which has been demonstrated to exert a substantial impact on the yield of white cabbage under

conditions of water scarcity. The experiment was conducted under the semi-arid climatic conditions of

Erzurum, Turkey, in 2023 and 2024. A 3 × 3 factorial experiment was conducted, with three irrigation

levels (W100: full irrigation, W75: 25% water deficit, and W50: 50% water deficit) and three

fertilization treatments (F0: mineral fertilizer, F1: cow manure providing approximately 3% soil organic

matter, and F2: cow manure providing approximately 4.5% soil organic matter), with three replications.

The combined results from 2023 to 2024 indicated a decrease in irrigation, which was accompanied by

an increase in the membrane damage index. The mean membrane damage index values for W100, W75,

and W50 were 8.1%, 17.8%, and 32.6%, respectively. The minimum membrane damage index value

(6.1%) was identified in F2-W100, while the maximum value (40.0%) was observed in F0-W50. The

application of cow manure resulted in lower membrane damage index values than mineral fertilizer at

all levels of irrigation. The F2 treatment demonstrated a 29.0% reduction in membrane damage index

under conditions of 50% water deficit when compared to the F0 treatment. A significant negative

correlation was identified between cabbage yield and the membrane damage index. The findings suggest

that the application of cow manure has the potential to mitigate the deleterious effects of water stress on

membrane stability and to mitigate yield losses in white cabbage. In conclusion, in regions with scarce

water resources, cow manuring may be a more effective option than mineral fertilization to mitigate the

negative impact of water scarcity on yield through membrane damage.