Morpho-physiological responses and growth indices of triticale to drought and salt stresses

Abstract

Salinity and drought are two major abiotic stresses challenging global crop production and food security. In this study, the effects of individual and combined effects of drought (at different phenological stages) and salt stresses on growth, morphology, and physiology of triticale were evaluated. For this purpose, a 3 x 4 factorial design in three blocks experiment was conducted. The stress treatments included three levels of salinity (0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl) and four levels of drought (regular irrigation as well as irrigation disruption at heading, flowering, and kernel extension stages). The stresses, individual as well as combined, caused a significant decrease in chlorophyll contents, total dry matter, leaf area index, relative water content, and grain yield of triticale. In this regard, the highest reduction was recorded under combined stresses of 100 mM NaCl and drought stress at flowering. However, an increase in soluble sugars, leaf free proline, carotenoid contents, and electrolyte leakage was noted under stress conditions compared to the control. In this regard, the highest increase in leaf free proline, soluble sugars, and carotenoid contents were noted under the combination of severe salinity and drought stress imposed at the flowering stage. Investigating the growth indices in severe salinity and water deficit stress in different phenological stages shows the predominance of ionic stress over osmotic stress under severe salinity. The highest grain yield was observed under non-saline well-watered conditions whereas the lowest grain yield was recorded under severe salinity and drought stress imposed at the flowering stage. In conclusion, the flowering stage was more sensitive than the heading and kernel extension stages in terms of water deficit. The impact of salinity and water deficit was more pronounced on soluble sugars and leaf free proline; so, these criteria can be used as physiological indicators for drought and salinity tolerance in triticale.

Morpho-physiological and biochemical characterization of African spider plant (Gynandropsis gynandra (L.) Briq.) genotypes under drought and non-drought conditions

“…The decrease in Spad could have stemmed from drought-damaged leaves turning yellowish. Drought stress has been shown to reduce chlorophyll content in wheat ( Talebi, 2011 ), triticale ( Mohammadi Alagoz et al., 2023 ), maize ( Mohammadkhani and Heidari, 2007 ), chickpea ( Mafakheri et al., 2010 ), soybean ( Makbul et al., 2011 ), and rice ( Jnandabhiram and Sailen Prasad, 2012 ). The reduction in Spad is due to chloroplast damage stemming from active oxygen species ( Golldack et al., 2014 ).…”

Effects of Compound Salt Concentration on Growth, Physiological and Nutritional Value of Hydroponic Forage Wheat

“…The proline content was measured by ninhydrin staining of Shen et al [18] and calculated using a proline standard curve (0-50 mg•mL −1 ) identically. A previous method was used for the determination of photosynthetic pigments (total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b), and total chlorophyll was calculated as chlorophyll a + chlorophyll b [19]. The absorbance of the extract was measured at 470, 663 and 645 nm using a spectrophotometer (TU-1810, Puxi General Instrument Co., Ltd., Beijing, China).…”

Effects of saline water irrigation on the soil salinity, yield and quality of field-grown winter jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. “Dongzao”)

“…Producing high-quality and high-yield crops is not only a concern for farmers but also a popular topic among researchers. Crops accumulate both inorganic and organic solutes and change their physiological function to cope with environmental stresses, which leads to changes in yield and quality (Alagoz et al, 2023). Wang et al (2017) demonstrated that in the southern arid region of Xinjiang, the use of brackish water with a salinity ranging from 2.36 to 3.39 g•L − 1 for mixed irrigation had minimal impacts on cotton growth and yield and irrigation water use e ciency.…”