Leaf photosynthetic and biomass parameters related to the tolerance of Vicia faba L. cultivars to salinity stress

• DOI: 10.1007/s41207-020-00221-8
• Publication Date: 2021-01-20T04:45:06Z
• Authors: Ines Neji; Imene Rajhi; Bechir Baccouri; Fathi Barhoumi; Moez Amri; Haythem Mhadhbi
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; 2. Zero hunger; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is an important pulse crop in the Mediterranean region. Salinity is one of the most devastating abiotic stresses that alter the growth and development of plants and affect the crop yield, especially in arid and semi-arid area such as Tunisia. To surmount the damaging effect of salinity, it is important to develop tolerant cultivars of faba bean. In this study, we examined the behavior of four faba bean cultivars in response to salinity stress. Plants were grown in hydroponics at 0, 75 and 150 mM of NaCl, and 16 morphological, photosynthetic and physiological parameters were assessed. Our data showed a significant genotypic variation for salt tolerance in faba bean among the studied cultivars. All measured parameters were affected by salinity at moderate salt concentration (75 mM), while there was a more pronounced reduction of all parameters at severe salt concentration (150 mM). The statistics analysis revealed that photosynthetic and biomass parameters were the least altered in cv. ‘Najeh’. Based on the results, cv. ‘Najeh’ can be considered to be a tolerant cultivar and to attract great interest in future breeding programs for modern cultivar improvement.