Evaluation tolerance of ‘Key’ lime and ‘Tiwanica’ seedlings to saline condition based on their growth and physiological responses

Citrus trees are one of the major fruit trees that grown in arid and semi-arid areas. Such environments are usually characterised as saline and crops grown on them frequently suffer from poor growth and productivity. In a greenhouse study conducted at the University Putra Malaysia, the effects of salinity on the growth and physiology of two citrus cultivars ‘Key lime’ and ‘Tiwanica’ were evaluated. The citrus seedlings were grown in 25 cm × 20 cmplastic bags containing 2.5 kg soil and treated with 0, 25, 50, and 75 mM NaCl. At 12 weeks of salinity treatment, the citrus seedlings were harvested and length of roots and shoots, number of leaves, photosynthesis rate, proline and MDA content of leaves were measured. Salinity decreased shoot and root growth of the both seedlings. Similarly, the negative effect of salinity was also observed on net photosynthesis in both citrus species. Overall, ‘Key lime’ was found to be more tolerant to salinity stress than ‘Tiwanica’ possibility due to a betterosmotic adjustment as shown by higher proline and lower MDA accumulation

کلیدواژه ها:

Key lime ، Tiwanica ، salinity ، proline ، MDA