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Comparative performance of δ 13 C , ion accumulation and agronomic parameters for phenotyping durum wheat genotypes under various irrigation water salinities
Author(s) -
Chamekh Z.,
Karmous C.,
Ayadi S.,
Sahli A.,
Belhaj Fraj M.,
Yousfi S.,
Rezgui S.,
Ben Aissa N.,
Serret M.D.,
McCann I.,
Trifa Y.,
Amara H.,
Araus J.L.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/aab.12332
Subject(s) - biology , salinity , irrigation , agronomy , grain yield , nitrogen , growing season , biomass (ecology) , poaceae , horticulture , zoology , chemistry , ecology , organic chemistry
The use of efficient selection traits for screening under contrasting irrigation water salinity is a challenge for breeders. To identify patterns, grain yield ( GY ) and yield components (kernels m −2 , thousand kernels weight), growth traits (plant height, biomass), flag leaf ion accumulation (Na + and K + ), carbon isotope composition ( δ 13 C grain ) and nitrogen concentration (N grain ) of grains were assessed on 25 durum wheat genotypes (G) in two consecutive growing seasons (2010 and 2011), in three semi‐arid locations in Tunisia. Each location differed in their irrigation water salinity as measured by electrical conductivity: Echbika ( S1 , 6 dS m −1 ), Barrouta ( S2 , 12 dS m −1 ) and Sidi Bouzid ( S3 , 18 dS m −1 ). GY was shown to be negatively correlated to N grain as well as to δ 13 C grain . This is confirmed by a multiple linear regression analysis that showed that both δ 13 C grain and N grain were the major determinant components for GY variability under S3 . A high genotypic variability was observed and the improved genotype Maali exhibited the most stable GY under the three irrigation water salinities and the two cropping seasons. Maali showed the lowest δ 13 C grain . This indicates that tolerance in durum wheat is likely to be correlated to the ability of maintaining a high stomatal conductance. According to our data suggests δ 13 C grain can be used for an efficient screening of salt tolerant durum wheat. Under our experimental conditions, N grain was shown to be highly correlated to δ 13 C grain and can therefore be easier‐to‐use trait to assess the tolerance to salinity.