Effect of Salinity Stress on Germination, Seedling Growth, Mineral Uptake and Chlorophyll Contents of Three Cucurbitaceae Species

This study was performed to screen out the various species of ‘Cucurbitaceae’ family, musk melon (Kalash and Durga), bottle gourd (Crystal Long and Nuefield) and squash (Green Round, and Squash Malika) against the salt stress. All genotypes were treated with five different levels of NaCl (T0 = control, T1 = 1.5 dS m^-1, T2 = 3.0 dS m^-1, T3 = 4.5 dS m^-1 and T4 = 6.0 dS m^-1) and half strength of Hoagland’s nutrients solution as the base nutrient solution. Results showed that the bottle gourd varieties “Nuefield” and “Crystal Long” performed best by maintaining the highest germination (93.2% and 85.6%), number of leaves per plant (4.5 and 5.7), shoot length (16.84 cm and 16.14 cm), root length (13.48 cm and 13.00 cm), plant fresh weight (942.2 g and 918.6 g), plant dry weight (118.4 g and 107.5 g), leaf area (171.2 cm² and 169.1 cm²), chlorophyll content (3.5 μg/cm^-2 and 3.4 μg/cm^-2) with low chloride (1.57 ppm and 1.59 ppm) and sodium content (0.47 ppm and 0.51 ppm) under salt stress followed by varieties of Squash (Green Round, and Squash Malika) and musk melon (Kalash and Durga). It was also found that a higher level of salinity (4.5 dS m^-1 and 6.0 dS m^-1) has more adverse effects on the performance of all selected genotypes. Conclusively, it can be recommended that as compared to all tested species, bottle gourd varieties “Nuefield” and “Crystal Long” have the ability to withstand against salinity stress and should be planted under salt stress conditions.

Keywords:
Salt stress; Cucurbits; Sodium; Chloride

Treatments	Musk melon		Bottle gourd		Squash		Treatment means
	Kalash	Durga	Crystal long	Nuefield	Green round	Squash
Control	83.20%	83.20%	100%	100%	83.20%	83.20%	88.8% a
1.5 dSm^-1	83.20%	83.20%	100%	100%	83.20%	83.20%	88.8% a
3.0 dSm^-1	61.40%	42.30%	83.20%	100%	83.20%	83.20%	75.55% b
4.5 dSm^-1	42.30%	42.30%	83.20%	83.20%	61.40%	61.40%	62.3% c
6.0 dSm^-1	21.70%	21.70%	61.40%	83.20%	42.30%	42.30%	45.43% d
	58.36% d	54.54% d	85.56% b	93.42% a	70.62% c	70.62% c	72.17% b

Treatments	Musk melon		Bottle gourd		Squash		Treatment means
	Kalash	Durga	Crystal long	Nuefield	Green round	Squash
Control	3.4±0.45 bc	2.6±0.03c	6.4±0.91 a	5.2±0.23 a	4.2±0.71 ab	4.7±0.45 ab	4.42 a
1.5 dSm^-1	3.2±0.34 cd	2±0.10 d	5.8±0.82 a	4.8±0.84 b	4.0±0.81 bc	4.6±0.25 b	4.07 a
3.0 dSm^-1	3±0.09b	1.4±0.07 c	5.4±0.57 a	4.6±0.58 ab	3.1±0.07 ab	4.5±0.12 a	3.67 b
4.5 dSm^-1	2.8±0.29bc	1.2±0.02 c	5.2±0.35 a	4.16±0.32 a	2.6±0.57 c	4.2±0.09 ab	3.36 b
6.0 dSm^-1	2.2±0.18 de	1±0.02e	4.4±0.56 a	4.13±0.5 b	2.6±0.09 cd	3.8±0.19 bc	2.75 c
Varieties mean	2.92 d	1.64 e	5.7 a	4.5 b	3.3 c	4.36 ab	3.75 b

Treatments	Musk melon		Bottle gourd		Squash		Treatment means
	Kalash (cm²)	Durga (cm²)	Crystal long (cm²)	Nuefield (cm²)	Green round(cm²)	Squash (cm²)
Control	134.4±0.9 d	137.9±0.3 d	229.7±0.45 a	227.2±0.7 a	173±0.21 bc	177.2±0.2b	179.9 a
1.5 dSm^-1	120±0.62 d	122.2±0.7d	208.1±0.67 a	204.6±0.4 a	131.1±0.17c	141.1±0.3b	154.52 b
3.0 dSm^-1	77.8±0.71 c	78.3±0.63c	186.4±0.44 a	184±0.32 a	91.8±0.51 b	91.8±0.5 b	118.35 ab
4.5 dSm^-1	54.4±0.4 c	33±0.3 d	139±0.04 a	136.5±0.3 a	67±0.20 b	69.9±0.1 b	83.3 c
6.0 dSm^-1	32.9±0.6 c	20.5±0.6 d	92.7±0.09 a	93.1±0.31a	43.6±0.14 b	46.2±0.2 b	54.83 d
	83.9 c	78.38 c	171.18 a	169.08 a	101.3 ab	105.24 ab	118.18 b

Treatments	Musk melon		Bottle gourd		Squash		Treatment means
	Kalash (cm)	Durga (cm)	Crystal long (cm)	Nuefield (cm)	Green round(cm)	Squash (cm)
Control	8.3±0.93 b	8.3±0.56 b	16.8±0.68 a	17.4±0.68a	10.3±0.30ab	15±0.09 a	12.68 a
1.5 dSm^-1	7.7±0.47 b	7.4±0.85 b	16.2±0.67 a	17.2±0.49a	9.9±0.31 b	14.9±0.81a	12.22 a
3.0 dSm^-1	7.4±0.75 c	6.8±0.58 c	16.1±0.45 a	17.2±0.70a	9.0±0.10 c	13.5±0.7ab	11.67 b
4.5 dSm^-1	7.0±0.83 c	6.7±0.46 c	16±0.60 a	16.8±0.70a	8.8±0.50 c	13±0.51 b	11.38 ab
6.0 dSm^-1	6.8±0.34 c	5.4±0.81 c	15.6±0.90 a	15.6±0.1ab	8.5±0.13 c	12.1±0.71b	10.67 c
	7.44 c	6.92 c	16.14 a	16.84 a	9.3 c	13.7 b	11.72 b

Treatments	Musk melon		Bottle gourd		Squash		Treatment means
	Kalash (cm)	Durga (cm)	Crystal long(cm)	Nuefield (cm)	Green round(cm)	Squash (cm)
Control	5.4±0.06 cd	4.5±0.23 d	12.4±0.09 a	14.7±0.78 a	7.9±0.39bc	8.7±0.18 b	8.93 a
1.5 dSm^-1	5.2±0.01 b	4.6±0.36 b	12.1±0.45 a	14.5±0.01 a	6.8±0.19 b	7.7±0.28 b	8.48 a
3.0 dSm^-1	5.0±0.07 b	5.2±0.37b	12.4±0.34 a	13.6±0.30 a	6.7±0.29 b	5.0±0.37 b	7.98 c
4.5 dSm^-1	5.1±0.41 c	4.5±0.67 c	15.2±0.56 a	12.6±0.9 ab	6.2±0.37 c	5.0±0.46 c	8.1 b
6.0 dSm^-1	4.7±0.08 c	3.2±0.45 c	12.9±0.07 a	12.0±0.3 ab	6.0±0.09 c	9.9±0.05 ab	8.12 b
	5.08 e	4.4 f	13 a	13.48 a	6.72 d	7.26 c	8.32 b

Treatments	Musk melon		Bottle gourd		Squash		Treatment means
	Kalash (g)	Durga (g)	Crystal long (g)	Nuefield (g)	Green round (g)	Squash (g)
Control	403.7±0.71d	402.6±0.7d	939.6±1.11a	943.3±2.2a	557.8±0.91c	619.3±0.1b	644.38 a
1.5 dSm^-1	397.1±0.82d	392±.09 d	927.8±2.91a	943.2±1.4 a	556.8±1.1c	618.9±0.9b	639.3 a
3.0 dSm^-1	387.9±1.63 d	354.4±0.6d	916.5±1.21a	942.9± 2.0a	518±1.3c	608.5±1.0b	621.37 b
4.5 dSm^-1	387.4±0.81 d	327.4±0.21e	908.6±1.02a	943.3±3.0a	416.3±0.67d	607.3±1.2b	598.38 bc
6.0 dSm^-1	345.3±1.40 c	245.5±0.34d	900.5±1.07a	938.1±1.5a	402.4±0.13c	509.3±0.4b	556.85 c
	384.28 e	344.38 f	918.6 a	942.16 a	490.26 d	592.66 c	612.06 b

Treatments	Musk melon		Bottle gourd		Squash		Treatment means
	Kalash (g)	Durga (g)	Crystal long (g)	Nuefield (g)	Green round (g)	Squash (g)
Control	50.3±0.09 c	47.5±0.34c	109.6±0.82ab	119±0.9ab	107.8±0.62b	127.8±0.3a	93.7 a
1.5 dSm^-1	34.7±0.07 c	33.0±0.77 c	108±0.78 ab	118.8±0.6a	107.5±0.55ab	98.4±0.7 b	83.4 b
3.0 dSm^-1	34.1±0.12 b	35.8±0.63b	109.1±0.88 a	118.9±0.3a	107.2±0.45 a	109.5±0.8a	85.77 b
4.5 dSm^-1	34.2±0.54 b	28.6±0.09b	107.6±0.75 a	118.7±0.6a	106.7±0.71 a	100.5±0.6a	82.72 b
6.0 dSm^-1	21.1±0.65 c	17.8±0.18c	102.9±0.38ab	116.5±0.7a	103.2±0.21ab	90.7±0.4 b	75.37 c
	34.88 d	32.54 d	107.44 b	118.42 a	106.48 b	105.38 b	84.19 c

Instituto de Tecnologia do Paraná - Tecpar Rua Prof. Algacyr Munhoz Mader, 3775 - CIC, 81350-010 Curitiba PR Brazil, Tel.: +55 41 3316-3052/3054, Fax: +55 41 3346-2872 - Curitiba - PR - Brazil
E-mail: babt@tecpar.br

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