Physiological responses of three pomegranate cultivars under flooded conditions

• Published in: Scientia horticulturae Vol. 224; pp. 171 - 179
• Main Authors: Olmo-Vega, Antonio, García-Sánchez, Francisco, Simón-Grao, Silvia, Simón, Inmaculada, Lidón, Vicente, Nieves, Manuel, Martínez-Nicolás, Juan J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 20-10-2017
• Subjects: Chlorophyll fluorescence; Flooding stress; Punica granatum; Stomatal conductance; Water relations; ABA; PAR; PQ; RS; ΦPSII; Ci; PSII; Fv’/Fm; TNC; Punica granatum; MDA; Ψw; Ψπ; LDW; RWC; RDW; TDW; SDW; Stomatal conductance; ΨP; Flooding stress; gs; Water relations; Chlorophyll fluorescence; QAC; TSS; ROS; ACO2
• ISSN: 0304-4238; 1879-1018
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scienta.2017.06.013

•Pomegranate is known for its great resistance to drought and salinity.•The pomegranate is a species sensitive to flooding, but some varieties are more tolerant than others.•The cvr 'Valenciana' was more affected due to non-stomatal factors.•Parameters of gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence in pomegranate.
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is known for its great resistance to abiotic stresses such as salinity or drought. However, its behavior under flooding − which is very common in the southeast of Spain, due mainly to the presence of heavy soils − has not yet been studied. This experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, with three of the pomegranate varieties most used in southeastern Spain: ‘Mollar de Elche’, ‘Valenciana’, and ‘Wonderful’. The plants were immersed in containers of 20liters capacity, leaving the water level three centimeters above the root zone for six days. Measurements of growth parameters, water relations, gaseous exchange parameters, chlorophyll fluorescence, organic solutes, oxidative stress, and the hormonal response were performed. The first variety that showed symptoms of stress was ‘Valenciana’, the one whose water relations, gaseous exchange parameters, total dry biomass, and chlorophyll fluorescence were affected most. It was also the one with the worst hormonal response. The flooding also negatively affected the growth parameters of ‘Wonderful’ and ‘Mollar de Elche’, but much less than in ‘Valenciana’. From this study we can conclude that flooding tolerance of pomegranate crops depend on the cultivar. So, 'Valenciana' cultivar was the most sensitive and 'Mollar de Elche' the most tolerant.