Salt tolerance evaluation and relative comparison in cuttings of different pomegranate cultivars

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted during a two-year period in order to evaluate and compare the salinity tolerance of 10 Iranian commercial cultivars of pomegranate. Pots were arranged in a split plot design with two factors included water salinity as main plot in 3 levels of 4, 7 and 10 dS/m and 10 pomegranate cultivars as sub-plot and 3 replications. The properties concerned during the experiment were vegetative growth, percentage of alive cuttings after 2 month and the necrosis and chlorosis of leaves. In the end of the experiment the vegetative yield and root dry weight were also measured. In addition, irrigation water, drainage water, soil in plots, root, stem and leaves were analyzed for elements such as Na+ and Cl-. The obtained results indicated that the best vegetative growth conditions were related to Voshike -e- Saravan and Tab -o- Larz cultivars at 4 and 7 dS/m salinity levels, respectively. Moreover, the most significant percentage of alive cuttings was related to Voshike -e- Saravan cultivar at each of the three studied salinity levels. Similarly, this cultivar had the minimum values of leaves necrosis and chlorosis at all three levels of salinity. Furthermore, the highest level of fresh yield was related to Zagh cultivar at 4 dS/m salinity level. The highest values of total Na+ and Cl- were observed in shoots and leaves of Zagh and Voshike -e- Saravan cultivars at 10 dS/m salinity level as well. In general, Voshike -e- Saravan is the most salinity-resistant cultivar among 10 studied cultivars. Besides, Malas -e- yazdi and Tab -o- larz can be planted as salinity resistant cultivars in the second hand. Other cultivar cuttings were not resistant in salinity and finally died (even after the second year) and three cultivars of Gabri, Malas -e- Esfahani and Khafri -e- Jahrom were the most sensitive cultivars with the lowest salinity resistance.