Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Salt Stress Affects the Photosynthetic and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Responses in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Version 1 : Received: 13 June 2022 / Approved: 14 June 2022 / Online: 14 June 2022 (08:04:31 CEST)

How to cite: Adhikari, B.; Olorunwa, O.J.; Barickman, T.C. Salt Stress Affects the Photosynthetic and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Responses in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Preprints 2022, 2022060197. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202206.0197.v1 Adhikari, B.; Olorunwa, O.J.; Barickman, T.C. Salt Stress Affects the Photosynthetic and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Responses in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Preprints 2022, 2022060197. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202206.0197.v1

Abstract

Lettuce is a salt-sensitive crop and has a threshold electrical conductivity of 1.3–2.0 mS cm-1 and above that is considered detrimental. As there has been very little information on the physio-logical response of different critical stages of lettuce under different salt stress (SS), the current study is focused on investigating the effects of SS on the critical physiological traits influencing the carbon assimilation in different growth stages of lettuce. The experiment was conducted in deep-water culture hydroponic system in a greenhouse condition. Four levels of sodium chloride salt treatments (EC: 20, 16, 8, and 1.8 mS cm-1) were applied. During both growth stages (day 11 (GS1) and day 19 (GS2) after salt treatment), the leaf transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and intercellular CO2 were severely decreased. However, the carbon assimilation rate remained unchanged under SS. Similarly, the water use efficiency increased under the SS. It is concluded that the increasing SS increased stomatal and non-stomatal limiting factors during GS1 suggesting the enhanced limitation in photosynthetic activity while no such trend was observed during GS2. The decreased gm with increased SS at GS1 and GS2 suggested that SS induced the irreversible decrease of gm, which in turn can be responsible for the transient reduction in the Vcmax and Jmax during GS2. Taken together, the evidence from this research recommends that varying the SS levels can significantly affect the physiological performance of lettuce at both growth stages.

Keywords

sodium chloride; photosystem II; Green Forest; carbon assimilation; salt-sensitive; C3 plant; climate change; abiotic stress

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

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