Root adaptation and ion selectivity affects the nutritional value of salt-stressed hydroponically grown baby-leaf Nasturtium officinale and Lactuca sativa

Abstract

The response of watercress (Nasturtium officinale L.) to salinity has been scarcely addressed in literature despite its growing importance in the baby-leaf market and its wide cultivation in salt-affected agricultural regions. This work evaluates the effect of salinity (2.5, 5 and 10 dS m-1) on productive and quality features of watercress compared with another crop widely cultivated for the baby-leaf sector (lettuce, Lactuca sativa). In watercress, a linear relationship (R2=0.75) was observed between yield decrease and Cl– accumulation in leaves, whereas yield was not affected by salinity in lettuce. NaCl application increased Na+ accumulation at the expense of Ca2+ uptake in the leaf tissues of both crops, but also of K+ in watercress. Health-related features were improved by salinity (e.g. increased phenolics and reduced nitrates), especially in watercress, with limited sensorial quality evaluation effects.

Exogenous Application of Chitosan Alleviate Salinity Stress in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

“…Horticulturae 2021, 7, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 17 studied [36,38], information regarding the effects of CTS on lettuce growth and production under saline conditions is lacking. Therefore, the present study evaluated the effectiveness of exogenous CTS in mitigating the adverse effects of salinity on the growth and physiological attributes of lettuce plants.…”

“…Lettuce is a moderately to highly salt-sensitive vegetable [35]. Salinity reduces the seed germination rate, leaf number, photosynthesis, and cell growth and increases the accumulation of ROS, which negatively affects lettuce growth and yield [36,37]. Although the negative effects of salinity on lettuce have been studied [36,38], information regarding the effects of CTS on lettuce growth and production under saline conditions is lacking.…”

“…Salinity reduces the seed germination rate, leaf number, photosynthesis, and cell growth and increases the accumulation of ROS, which negatively affects lettuce growth and yield [36,37]. Although the negative effects of salinity on lettuce have been studied [36,38], information regarding the effects of CTS on lettuce growth and production under saline conditions is lacking. Therefore, the present study evaluated the effectiveness of exogenous CTS in mitigating the adverse effects of salinity on the growth and physiological attributes of lettuce plants.…”

Effects of Two Doses of Organic Extract-Based Biostimulant on Greenhouse Lettuce Grown Under Increasing NaCl Concentrations

“…To verify the effects deriving from the applications of biostimulants, trials on lettuce plants under salinity exposure were performed. Lettuce is in fact considered to be a moderately salt sensitive crop (Shannon and Grieve, 1998; Fernandez et al, 2016) and it is one of the most important leafy vegetable cultivated in the Mediterranean area, where saline water is frequently used for irrigation. The salinity threshold for this vegetable species is in average 1.3 dS/m (Ayers et al, 1951; Maas and Hoffman, 1977; Shannon and Grieve, 1998; Andriolo et al, 2005; Ünlükara et al, 2010), as observed in the majority of the cultivars or varieties.…”

A Review on Phytochemical and Pharmacological Potential of Watercress Plant

“…It provides a reservoir of tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, and many other glycosides. It is a rich source of essential vitamins and minerals such as lutein and zeaxanthin [47][48][49][50][51][52]. pigment chlorophyll was found in predominant concentration and total phenolic (TP) compounds were dominant in methanolic extract compared with aqueous extract.…”