Effect of Water Stress on the Growth, Nutritional and Biochemical Status of Two Varieties of Pomegranate Seedlings | ||
| Journal of Plant Production | ||
| Article 10, Volume 7, Issue 12, December 2016, Pages 1321-1329 PDF (577.93 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jpp.2016.47030 | ||
| Authors | ||
| A. E. Hamdy* 1; S. M. Khalifa1; S. S. Shawer2; A. A. G. Mancy2 | ||
| 1Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Nasr city, Cairo, Egypt | ||
| 2Department of Soils and Water, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| A pot experiment was carried out during successive seasons of 2015 and 2016 to investigate the effect of water stress on growth, nutritional and biochemical status of two pomegranate seedlings (Early 116 and wonderful) as in Egypt. The experimented seedlings were obtained from cuttings of two pomegranate varieties, namely Early 116 as well as wonderful. One year old pomegranate seedlings were grown in pots filled with sandy soil under greenhouse conditions, where they subjected to four water levels, 100% of field capacity (control), 80%, 60% and 40% of available water. The results indicated that the maximum values of vegetative growth parameters (shoot length, number of sprouted shoots as well as leaf surface area) were obtained when the plants were irrigated with 100 % of field capacity, while the minimum values were recorded at 40 % of available water. Wonderful seedlings gave the highest values of tested growth parameters at all water levels as compared with Early 116 variety. The decrease in irrigation water levels led to increase the hard leaf character, proline content, while leaf succulence grade and relative water content were increased by increasing the given amount of irrigation water in both pomegranate varieties. Although the two tested varieties accumulated high values of proline in their leaves when subjected to water stress (80%, 60% and 40% of available water), but the Wonderful variety accumulated high values of proline content under water stress treatments as compared with Early 166 variety . Therefore, Wonderful variety might be more tolerant to drought than Early 116 variety. The content of some macronutrients (N, P and K %) and micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu mg/kg) in leaves of both varieties were decreased by decreasing irrigation water levels. The highest significant values of some macro and micronutrients were found with control treatment (100 % field capacity), while the lowest values of these nutrients were found at sever water stress (40 % available water).On the other hand, Wonderful seedlings significantly showed a higher content of N, P, K, Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu under all water irrigation treatments than those of Early 116. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Punica granatum L; wonderful; Early 116; Irrigation; Stress; Growth; proline content; Nutrients | ||
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