Interaction Between Salt Stress and Drought Stress on Some Physiological Parameters in Two Pea Cultivars

Houneida Attia, Khalid H Alamer, Chayma Ouhibi, Samia Oueslati and Mokhtar Lachaal

Background and Objective: Salinity is a key factor limiting agricultural production around the world and often occurs at the same time as drought stress. Conventional selection in saline conditions has generally failed, in part due to the large variability of natural saline soils resulting from different salinity and drought. The purpose of the work was to assess the combined effect of drought and salinity in 2 pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivars cv Lincoln and cv Douce de provence. Materials and Methods: Seedlings were cultured on liquid medium without or with NaCl, 75 mM in controlled conditions. Fourteen days old, salt treated plants were subjected to drought (PEG 6000). After 7 days of treatment, growth parameters, mineral content (Na⁺, Cl^–, K⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺) and chlorophyll content were measured. Peroxidases and catalase activities was assayed on gels. Results: The combined action of drought and salt restricted leaf biomass more pronounced in cv D. provence than in cv Lincoln. This growth decrease was accompanied by a restriction in leaf hydration and K⁺ uptake, concomitant with low Na⁺ accumulation in cv D. provence leaves. Considering the response of antioxidant enzymes to combined stress, leaves guaiacol peroxidase activity showed an increase as compared to control in much more pronounced in cv Lincoln than in cv D. provence. Conclusion: Both pea cultivars exhibited a stimulation of catalase activity with higher in cv D. Provence than in cv Lincoln. Thus, cv D. lincoln had a higher osmotic drought stress than cv D. provence.

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