TY - JOUR

T1 - Growth and ionic content of quinoa under saline irrigation

AU - Riccardi, M.

AU - Pulvento, C.

AU - Lavini, A.

AU - d'Andria, R.

AU - Jacobsen, Sven-Erik

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - Drought and salinity are the most important abiotic stresses that affect plant's growth and productivity. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of salt and water deficit on water relations, growth parameters and capacity to accumulate inorganic solutes in quinoa plants. An irrigation experiment was carried out in 2009 and 2010 in the Volturno river plain. Three treatments irrigated with fresh water (Q100, Q50 and Q25) and three irrigated with saline water (Q100S, Q50S and Q25S) were tested. For saline irrigation, water with an electrical conductivity of 22 dS m-1 was used. Actual evapotranspiration (ETa), water productivity (WP), biomass allocation, relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), specific leaf area, leaf area ratio and ions accumulation of quinoa plants were evaluated. WP and plant growth were not influenced by saline irrigation, as quinoa plants incorporated salt ions in the tissues (stems, roots, leaves) preserving seed quality. Treatment with a reduction in the irrigation water to 25 % of full irrigated treatment (Q25) caused an increase in WP and a reduced dry matter accumulation in the leaves. Quinoa plants (Q25) were initially negatively affected by severe drought with RGR and NAR reduction, and then, they adapted to it. Quinoa could be considered a drought tolerant crop that adapt photosynthetic rate to compensate for a reduced growth.

AB - Drought and salinity are the most important abiotic stresses that affect plant's growth and productivity. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of salt and water deficit on water relations, growth parameters and capacity to accumulate inorganic solutes in quinoa plants. An irrigation experiment was carried out in 2009 and 2010 in the Volturno river plain. Three treatments irrigated with fresh water (Q100, Q50 and Q25) and three irrigated with saline water (Q100S, Q50S and Q25S) were tested. For saline irrigation, water with an electrical conductivity of 22 dS m-1 was used. Actual evapotranspiration (ETa), water productivity (WP), biomass allocation, relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), specific leaf area, leaf area ratio and ions accumulation of quinoa plants were evaluated. WP and plant growth were not influenced by saline irrigation, as quinoa plants incorporated salt ions in the tissues (stems, roots, leaves) preserving seed quality. Treatment with a reduction in the irrigation water to 25 % of full irrigated treatment (Q25) caused an increase in WP and a reduced dry matter accumulation in the leaves. Quinoa plants (Q25) were initially negatively affected by severe drought with RGR and NAR reduction, and then, they adapted to it. Quinoa could be considered a drought tolerant crop that adapt photosynthetic rate to compensate for a reduced growth.

KW - Drought stress

KW - Growth analysis

KW - Ionic compartmentation

KW - Osmotic adjustment

KW - Salinity

KW - Water productivity

U2 - 10.1111/jac.12061

DO - 10.1111/jac.12061

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:84903814253

VL - 200

SP - 246

EP - 260

JO - Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science

JF - Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science

SN - 0931-2250

IS - 4

ER -