Mysoon Alamro*
National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Al Mashqar Agricultural Research Center, Madaba West Street, Amman, Jordan
*Corresponding author’s email: mysoon.alamro@gmail.com
Received: 30 November 2025 / Revised: 03 February 2026 / Accepted: 09 February 2026 / Published Online: 17 February 2026
Abstract
Climate change and induced droughts are limiting crop production, especially in arid regions like Jordan, requiring urgent need for strategies that improve water use efficiency in agriculture. This study, therefore, investigated the use of natural Jordanian zeolite as a soil amendment to improve soil moisture retention, plant growth, and yield of tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum) under limited water conditions in pot experiments. A two-season trial was conducted with four irrigation intervals, watering every 2, 4, 6, or 8 days, and five zeolite application doses; zeolite: soil ratios of 0:1, 1:0, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 by volume. Average results from both seasons showed that changing irrigation intervals from 2 to 8 days significantly reduced soil moisture, from 18% to 13% in the first season, and increased soil temperature from 21°C to 23.5°C, adversely affecting plant growth and yield. Zeolite amendments improved soil water retention by up to 3-4%, reduced soil temperature by 1-3°C under drought, and increased plant height, leaf area, and chlorophyll fluorescence indices compared to non-zeolite soil. The results also indicate that a 1:3 zeolite to soil ratio produced higher plant height, larger leaf area, and 20-40% higher fruit yield under deficit irrigation than the control which received no zeolite. Water use efficiency was improved with reduced watering frequency and was further enhanced by zeolite; the 1:3 treatment achieved the highest WUE, producing more yield per unit water. On the other hand, excessive zeolite (1:1 mix) did not improve yields on clayey soil. Therefore, incorporating a suitable proportion of natural zeolite into soil can mitigate drought stress and sustain tomato production while conserving irrigation water.
Keywords: Arid region agriculture, Drought, Irrigation frequency, Soil amendment, Water use efficiency, Zeolitic tuff
