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Response of two tomato cultivars to field-applied proline under irrigation with saline water: Growth, chlorophyll fluorescence and nutritional aspects

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

The response of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) to abiotic stress has been widely investigated. Recent physiological studies focus on the use of osmoprotectants to ameliorate stress damage, but experiments at a field level are scarce. Two tomato cultivars were used for an experiment with saline water (6.57 dS m−1) and subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) in a silty clay soil. Rio Grande is a salinity-tolerant cultivar, while Heinz-2274 is the salt-sensitive cultivar. Exogenous application of proline was done by foliar spray at two concentrations (10 and 20 mg L−1) during the flowering stage. Control plants were treated with saline water without proline. Proline at the lower concentration (10 mg L−1) increased dry mass of different plant organs (leaves, stems, and roots) and it improved various chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters compared with controls. Regarding mineral nutrition, K+ and P were higher in different organs, while low accumulation of Na+ occurred. However, Mg2+ was very high in all tissues of Rio Grande at the higher concentration of proline applied. Thus, the foliar spray of proline at 10 mg L−1 increased the tolerance of both cultivars. The growth of aboveground biomass of Heinz-2274 was enhanced by 63.5%, while Rio Grande improved only by 38.9%.

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Abbreviations

Chl:

chlorophyll

CK:

control

DM:

dry mass

ECw:

electrical conductivity of water

Fm :

maximal fluorescence in the dark-adapted leaves

Fm′:

maximal fluorescence in the light-adapted leaves

F0 :

minimal fluorescence in the dark-adapted leaves

Fs :

steady-state fluorescence

Fv :

maximal variable fluorescence in the dark-adapted leaves

Fv′:

maximal variable fluorescence in the light-adapted leaves

Fv/Fm :

maximal efficiency of PSII photochemistry

Fv′/Fm′:

efficiency of excitation energy capture by open PSII reaction centers

NPQ:

nonphotochemical quenching

ϕPSII :

the quantum yield of PSII electron transport

PQ-pool:

plastoquinone pool

Pro:

proline

Pro10:

proline concentration of 10 mg L−1

Pro20:

proline concentration of 20 mg L−1

SAR:

sodium adsorption ratio

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

SC:

salt-sensitive cultivar

SDI:

subsurface drip irrigation

TC:

salt-tolerant cultivar

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Institute of Rural Engeneering, Waters and Forestry (INRGREF), 17 rue Hédi Karray, BP no 10, Ariana, 2080, Tunisia

    B. Kahlaoui, M. Hachicha, S. Rejeb & M. N. Rejeb

  2. Faculty of Sciences, Tunis, University Campus, 1060, Tunis, Tunisia

    B. Hanchi

  3. Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Forestry, Universidad Católica del Maule, Casilla, 7AD, Curicó, Chile

    E. Misle

Authors
  1. B. Kahlaoui
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  2. M. Hachicha
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  3. S. Rejeb
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  4. M. N. Rejeb
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  5. B. Hanchi
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  6. E. Misle
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Correspondence to B. Kahlaoui.

Additional information

Acknowledgements: The study was carried out under the INRGREF/ACSAD project for saline water use in agriculture and PISEAUII project for saline water use in center of Tunisia.

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Kahlaoui, B., Hachicha, M., Rejeb, S. et al. Response of two tomato cultivars to field-applied proline under irrigation with saline water: Growth, chlorophyll fluorescence and nutritional aspects. Photosynthetica 52, 421–429 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-014-0053-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-014-0053-6

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