TY - JOUR

T1 - Changes in plant growth, leaf relative water content and physiological traits in response to salt stress in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) varieties

AU - Meguekam, Tekam L.

AU - Taffouo, Victor D.

AU - Stützel, Hartmut

AU - Moualeu-Ngangue, Dany Pascal

N1 - Funding Information: This work was financially supported by two months research stay at the University of Leibniz in Hannover under the DAAD scholarship program of 2017. We thank Mrs Ilona Napp for her technical assistance during this experimental period.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Salinity is the main environmental factor accountable for decreasing crop productivity worldwide. The effects of NaCl salinity on plant growth (leaf relative water content (RWC), leaf dry weight (LDW), shoot length (SL), number of leaves (NL), number of branches (NB) and total leaf area (TLA) and physiological characteristics (stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (TR), net photosynthetic (Pn), yield of photosystem II (OPsII) and the intercellular CO2 concentration (CO2int) in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) varieties (‘Vanda', ‘P244601' and ‘Pl184948', widely used in Cameroon, Tanzania and Ghana, respectively, were investigated under hydroponic condition. Plants were subjected to four levels of NaCl (0, 40, 80 and 120 mM) at early seedling growth stage of plant development. Application of NaCl treatment led to a significant decrease in LDW, SL, NL, TLA, Pn, gs, TR and CO2int concentration of ‘Vanda' and ‘P244601' compared to untreated plants while the plant growth inhibition was notably noted at 120 mM NaCl in ‘P1184948' for LDW, SL and NB. The highest depressive effect was detected in gs of salt-sensitive ‘Vanda' while the lowest were recorded in gs of salt-tolerant ‘P1184948' at high salinity level. Enhanced NaCl concentrations led to a significant increase in OPSII of ‘P1184948' compared to ‘Vanda', ‘P244601' and untreated plants. Leaf CHL content was significantly increased in moderately-tolerant ‘‘P244601' and salt-tolerant ‘P1184948' at 80 mM NaCl compared to salt sensitive ‘Vanda' and untreated plants. The depressive effect of salt on RWC was recorded at 120 mM NaCl in peanut leaves of all varieties. Under salt stress ‘P1184948‘ was observed to have relatively higher tolerance on average of all growth and physiological traits than ‘Vanda’ and P244601' suggesting that it could be grown in salt-affected soils.

AB - Salinity is the main environmental factor accountable for decreasing crop productivity worldwide. The effects of NaCl salinity on plant growth (leaf relative water content (RWC), leaf dry weight (LDW), shoot length (SL), number of leaves (NL), number of branches (NB) and total leaf area (TLA) and physiological characteristics (stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (TR), net photosynthetic (Pn), yield of photosystem II (OPsII) and the intercellular CO2 concentration (CO2int) in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) varieties (‘Vanda', ‘P244601' and ‘Pl184948', widely used in Cameroon, Tanzania and Ghana, respectively, were investigated under hydroponic condition. Plants were subjected to four levels of NaCl (0, 40, 80 and 120 mM) at early seedling growth stage of plant development. Application of NaCl treatment led to a significant decrease in LDW, SL, NL, TLA, Pn, gs, TR and CO2int concentration of ‘Vanda' and ‘P244601' compared to untreated plants while the plant growth inhibition was notably noted at 120 mM NaCl in ‘P1184948' for LDW, SL and NB. The highest depressive effect was detected in gs of salt-sensitive ‘Vanda' while the lowest were recorded in gs of salt-tolerant ‘P1184948' at high salinity level. Enhanced NaCl concentrations led to a significant increase in OPSII of ‘P1184948' compared to ‘Vanda', ‘P244601' and untreated plants. Leaf CHL content was significantly increased in moderately-tolerant ‘‘P244601' and salt-tolerant ‘P1184948' at 80 mM NaCl compared to salt sensitive ‘Vanda' and untreated plants. The depressive effect of salt on RWC was recorded at 120 mM NaCl in peanut leaves of all varieties. Under salt stress ‘P1184948‘ was observed to have relatively higher tolerance on average of all growth and physiological traits than ‘Vanda’ and P244601' suggesting that it could be grown in salt-affected soils.

KW - hydroponic condition

KW - peanut

KW - physiological traits

KW - plant growth

KW - salinity

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104041517&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.15835/nbha49112049

DO - 10.15835/nbha49112049

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85104041517

VL - 49

SP - 1

EP - 13

JO - Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca

JF - Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca

SN - 0255-965X

IS - 1

ER -