Morpho-physiological Characteristics of Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) under NaCl-stress and Rhizophagus fasciculatum as NaCl-stress Mitigator

Salinity stress is one of the main problems limiting growth and development of cultivated species. The objective of this study was to assess NaCl-stress basil plants (Ocimum basilicum L.) cv. ‘Nufar’ and to determine whether the mitigating effect of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus strain (AMF). A completely randomized factorial design was used considering three NaCl concentration (0, 50 and 100 mM) as factor 1 and presence or absence of AMF (0 and 10 g of inoculum) as factor 2, with four replicates per treatment and four plants per repetition. The assessed response variables were, fresh and dry of aerial part and root, root length, leaf area, relative water content, water potential, plant height, number of spores and mycorrhizal colonization percentage after 20 and 50 days (T20, T50) of the experiment. The results showed greater values in all variables in the control group (0 mM NaCl) than in plants inoculated with R. fasciculatum with T20 and T50; although values decreased as NaCl concentration increased; the tendency to increase was maintained even in at 50 and 100 mM of NaCl with AMF with respect to 50 and 100 mM NaCl without AMF. The AMF colonization percentage decreased as NaCl concentration increased. Nonetheless, the development and growth response for all variables in the inoculated plants with AMF was greater vs non-inoculated, which suggests that basil plant inoculation with AMF has a positive effect in mitigating NaCl stress. *** In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 4, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. ***