Regulation in some vital physiological attributes and antioxidative defense system in carrot (<em>Daucus carota</em> L.) under saline stress

• Main Authors: Sairo Bano, Muhammad Ashraf, Nudrat Aisha Akram, F. Al-Qurainy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Julius Kühn-Institut 2012-10-01
• Series: Journal of Applied Botany and Food Quality
• Online Access: https://ojs.openagrar.de/index.php/JABFQ/article/view/2008
• ISSN: 1613-9216; 1439-040X

Regulation of some key metabolic phenomena including antioxidative defense system involved in plant salt tolerance is of great concern. Changes in chlorophyll pigments, chlorophyll fl uorescence and leaf gas exchange characteristics, glycinebetaine and proline contents, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants was assessed in two carrot (Daucus carota L.) cultivars, DC-4 and T-29 under saline stress in a greenhouse study. Application of different saline regimes (0, 50, 100 and 150 mM NaCl) to the growth medium considerably reduced the shoot and root fresh and dry weights, shoot and root lengths, chlorophyll b contents, leaf water potential (Ψw), leaf osmotic potential (Ψs), photosynthetic rate (A), water-use effi ciency, sub-stomatal CO2 concentration (Ci), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (E), Ci/Ca ratio, leaf and root K+ and Ca2+ contents, leaf MDA, total phenolics, total soluble proteins, and activities of CAT, SOD and POD enzymes, while a marked increase was observed in leaf turgor potential (Ψp), leaf and root Na+ and Cl- contents, leaf proline, glycinebetaine (GB), ascorbic acid (AsA) and H2O2 contents in both cultivars. Of both carrot cultivars, cultivar T-29 was relatively higher in shoot and root fresh weights, root Na+, leaf and root Ca2+, leaf proline, MDA, total phenolics, soluble proteins and activity of SOD enzyme. In contrast, cultivar DC-4 was relatively higher in leaf Ψw and Ψs, leaf K+, root Ca2+ and leaf GB as compared to those in the other cultivar. The relatively better growth of cultivar T-29 was found to be correlated with improved leaf water potential, leaf Ca2+, proline, phenolics, and activity of SOD enzyme under saline conditions.