Lisianthus response to salinity stress

The effect of salinity on some morpho-physiological characteristics in lisianthus cultivars was investigated. Cultivars namely, Blue Picotee (C1), Champagne (C 2 ), Lime Green (C 3 ), and Pure White (C 4 ), were subjected to salt stress (0–60 mM NaCl) in a sand culture and their responses were measured. Our results showed that as a salinity level increased, growth parameters, relative water content, photosynthetic pigments, and gas-exchange characteristics decreased in all cultivars, while root fresh mass, root/shoot length ratio, electrolyte leakage, and a malondialdehyde content increased. However, the changes were less pronounced in C 3 and C 4 compared to C1 and C 2 . The regression analysis of the relationship between salinity levels and seedling height or root/shoot length ratio defined two groups with different slope coefficients: C1 and C 2 as salt-sensitive cultivars and C 3 and C 4 as salt-tolerant cultivars. Shoot dry mass and leaf area tolerance indices were less affected by salinity in C 3 and C 4 compared to those in C1 and C 2 . Further, C 3 and C 4 showed higher photosynthetic rates, greater stomatal conductances, and accumulated greater K+ and Ca2+ contents and K+/Na+ ratios in roots and shoots compared to those in C1 and C 2 . The results suggests that C 3 and C 4 could be recommended as resistant cultivars due to maintaining higher growth, water balance, leaf gas exchange, ion compartmentalization, and lower lipid peroxidation in response to salinity compared to C1 and C 2 .