Studying the Combined Impact of Salinity and Drought Stress-Simulated Conditions on Physio-Biochemical Characteristics of Lettuce Plant

Abdelkader M. Suliman A.A. Salem S.S. Assiya A. Voronina L. Puchkov M. Loktionova E. Bhuker A. Ataya F.S. Mahmoud M.H. Abdelkader M.F.M.
November 2024 Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

Horticulturae
2024 #10 Issue 11

Water scarcity and increasing salinity stress are significant challenges in the farming sector as they often exacerbate each other, as limited water availability can concentrate salts in the soil, further hindering plant growth. Lettuce, a crucial leafy vegetable with high nutritional value, is susceptible to water availability and quality. This study investigates the growth and development of lettuce plants under water scarcity and varying levels of salinity stress to identify effective strategies for reducing water consumption while maintaining or improving plant productivity. Field experiments were designed to simulate three drought levels (50, 75, and 100% of class A pan evaporation) and three salinity stress levels (control, 1500, and 3000 ppm NaCl), assessing their impact on lettuce’s morphological and biochemical parameters. The combination of reduced water supply and high salinity significantly hindered growth, underscoring the detrimental effects of simultaneous water deficit and salinity stress on plant development. Non-stressed treatment enhanced nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents and progressively decreased with the reduction in water supply from 100% to 50%. Interestingly, higher salinity levels increased total phenolic, flavonoid, and antioxidant activity, suggesting an adaptive stress response. Moreover, antioxidant activity, evaluated through DPPH and ABTS assays, peaked in plants irrigated with 75% ETo, whether under control or 1500 ppm salinity conditions. The Yield Stability Index was highest at 75% ETo (0.95), indicating robust stability under stress. The results indicated that lettuce could be cultivated with up to 75% of the water requirement without significantly impacting plant development or quality. Furthermore, the investigation demonstrated that lettuce could thrive when irrigated with water of moderate salinity (1500 ppm). These findings highlight the potential for reducing water quantities and saline water in lettuce production, offering practical solutions for sustainable farming in water-scarce regions.

abiotic stress , evapotranspiration , lettuce , salt stress , tolerance index , water deficit

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Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Sohag University, Sohag, 82524, Egypt
Agricultural and Biological Research Institute, National Research Center, Giza, 12622, Egypt
Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University, Kostanay, 110000, Kazakhstan
Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation
Agronomy Department, Astrakhan State University, Astrakhan, 414056, Russian Federation
Department of Ecology, Astrakhan State University, Astrakhan, 414056, Russian Federation
Department of Seed Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Choudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, 125004, India
Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, New Valley University, El Kharga, 72511, Egypt

Horticulture Department
Agricultural and Biological Research Institute
Botany and Microbiology Department
Department of Agronomy
Faculty of Soil Science
Agronomy Department
Department of Ecology
Department of Seed Science and Technology
Department of Biochemistry
Horticulture Department

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