Abstract
Salinity stress is one of the major abiotic factors that arrest physiological characteristics and plant growth. Maize (Zea mays L.) is a moderately salt-sensitive crop and shows genotypic variation for salt tolerance. This study was carried out to screen salt-tolerant genotypes and investigate the growth and physiological responses of maize exposed to salt stress during early growth. Fifteen maize genotypes were tested and subjected to different sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations (i.e., 0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl) for 30 days in hydroponics using a complete randomized design (CRD) with four replications. NaCl was added in 12.5 mM (for 50 mM treatment) and 25 mM (for 100 mM treatment) increments every other day up to the desired concentration. The analyzed data parameters were the growth attribute (germination characteristics, fresh and dried root and shoot weights) and photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), total chlorophyll, and carotenoids). Multivariate techniques were applied to identify the most important traits in evaluating salinity tolerance. Also, the genotypes were ranked for salt tolerance to identify superior genotypes. The results showed considerable variation for each studied trait across the 15 genotypes under NaCl treatments. Compared with the non-saline control, salt stress significantly decreased biomass production; maximum reduction in shoot fresh weight was recorded for genotype NARC PR‑2 (92%), while the least reduction was recorded in NCEV 1530-13 (59%). DrKaPohi genotype had the highest reduction in root fresh weight (89%) and the lowest decrease was observed in NCEV 1530-10 (7%). Moreover, photosynthesis pigments decreased the maximum in SS 2002 by 82% and 97% for chlorophyll and carotenoids, respectively. Two clusters were obtained after applying a Cluster Analysis (CA), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) nominated some morphological trails as efficient criteria for screening salt tolerance of maize during early growth. Based on the mean shoot dry weight ratio ± one standard error, the 15 genotypes were categorized as salt-tolerant (4 genotypes), moderately tolerant (6), and salt-sensitive (5). Among the genotypes, NLEV‑2 and 1270‑5 were found to be most sensitive genotypes to salt stress. The more salt-tolerant genotypes (such as CEV‑2, NCVE‑9, and NCEV 1530-12) showed relatively good ability to cope with salinity effect and could be valuable for developing high-yielding maize hybrids in future breeding programs under salt stress conditions.
Zusammenfassung
Salzstress ist einer der wichtigsten abiotischen Faktoren, die die physiologischen Eigenschaften und das Pflanzenwachstum beeinträchtigen. Mais (Zea mays L.) ist eine mäßig salzempfindliche Kulturpflanze und weist eine genotypische Variation der Salztoleranz auf. Diese Studie wurde durchgeführt, um salztolerante Genotypen zu screenen und das Wachstum und die physiologischen Reaktionen von Mais zu untersuchen, der während des frühen Wachstums Salzstress ausgesetzt war. Fünfzehn Maisgenotypen wurden getestet und 30 Tage lang in Hydrokulturen unterschiedlichen Natriumchlorid (NaCl)-Konzentrationen (d. h. 0, 50 und 100 mM NaCl) ausgesetzt. 12,5 mM NaCl (für die 50 mM-Behandlung) und 25 mM NaCl (für die 100 mM-Behandlung) wurden jeden zweiten Tag bis zur gewünschten Konzentration zugegeben. Die analysierten Datenparameter waren Wachstumsmerkmale (Keimungscharakteristika, frische und getrocknete Wurzel- und Sprossgewichte) und photosynthetische Pigmente (Chlorophyll a (Chl a), Chlorophyll b (Chl b), Gesamtchlorophyll und Carotinoide). Es wurden multivariate Verfahren angewandt, um die wichtigsten Merkmale für die Bewertung der Salztoleranz zu ermitteln. Außerdem wurden die Genotypen hinsichtlich ihrer Salztoleranz in eine Rangfolge gebracht, um überlegene Genotypen zu identifizieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigten für jedes untersuchte Merkmal beträchtliche Unterschiede zwischen den 15 Genotypen unter NaCl-Behandlungen. Im Vergleich zur nicht salzhaltigen Kontrolle verringerte der Salzstress die Biomasseproduktion signifikant; die größte Verringerung des Frischgewichts der Triebe wurde beim Genotyp NARC PR‑2 (92 %) festgestellt, während die geringste Verringerung bei NCEV 1530-13 (59 %) zu verzeichnen war. Der Genotyp DrKaPohi wies die höchste Verringerung des Frischgewichts der Wurzeln auf (89 %), während der geringste Rückgang bei NCEV 1530-10 (7 %) beobachtet wurde. Darüber hinaus nahmen die Photosynthesepigmente bei SS 2002 am stärksten ab, und zwar um 82 % für Chlorophyll und 97 % für Carotinoide. Nach Anwendung einer Clusteranalyse (CA) wurden zwei Cluster gebildet, und die Hauptkomponentenanalyse (PCA) ergab einige morphologische Merkmale als effiziente Kriterien für das Screening der Salztoleranz von Mais während des frühen Wachstums. Auf der Grundlage des mittleren Trockengewichts der Triebe wurden die 15 Genotypen als salztolerant (4 Genotypen), mäßig tolerant (6) und salzempfindlich (5) eingestuft. Unter den Genotypen erwiesen sich NLEV‑2 und 1270‑5 als die Genotypen, die am empfindlichsten auf Salzstress reagieren. Die salztoleranteren Genotypen (wie CEV‑2, NCVE‑9 und NCEV 1530-12) zeigten eine relativ gute Fähigkeit, mit der Versalzung umzugehen, und könnten für die Entwicklung ertragreicher Maishybriden in zukünftigen Zuchtprogrammen unter Salzstressbedingungen wertvoll sein.
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Acknowledgements
We are thankful to the laboratory staff of Department of Agronomy, Amir Muhammad Khan Campus Mardan, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar (Pakistan) for assistance and technical support in this work. We gratefully acknowledge Ms. Saba Babar (Institute of Soil Science, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, 46300, Pakistan) for reviewing the first draft of this manuscript.
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A. Zia, F. Munsif, A. Jamal, A. Mihoub, M.F. Saeed, M. Fawad, I. Ahmad and A. Ali declare that they have no competing interests.
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Zia, A., Munsif, F., Jamal, A. et al. Morpho-Physiological Attributes of Different Maize (Zea mays L.) Genotypes Under Varying Salt Stress Conditions. Gesunde Pflanzen 74, 661–673 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-022-00641-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-022-00641-2