2018 ASHS Annual Conference

Salinity and drought are the main and common abiotic stresses that reduce crop growth and the productivity in addition to plant nutrient uptake is very sensitive to environmental stress factors. In this study we focused on the cilantro (Coriandrum sativum L.) mineral content and their transformations under abiotic stress conditions. For this aim we conduct a greenhouse experiment with different level of salinity and drought treatments. Four different salt doses (A0: 0 mM NaCl, A1: 50 mM NaCl, A2: 100 mM NaCl, and A3: 150 mM NaCl) and three different irrigation levels (I0: 100%, I1: 75% and I2: 50% of the water required to reach the field capacity) were applied and individual and combined effects of two stresses were evaluated.

Both drought and salinity altered the mineral-nutrient relations by decreasing N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Mn, Fe and Z of the coriander plants in general but Na, and B content of the plants were increased. The decrease in the content of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn were 27%, 29%, 15%, 17%, 13%, 7%, 22%, 20%, and 15% respectively in severe drought stress treatment (I2) and were 56%, 57%, 48%, 56%, 33%, 46%, 35%, 32%, and 27% in severe salt stress (A3) compared to control. The combined stress treatments (I2A3) caused more reduction in the content of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn (70%, 67%, 61%, 65%, 56%, 65%, 58%, 58% and 50% respectively). On the other hand increase of Na and B were 45% and 24% in I2, 51% and 35% in A3 and 118% and 78% in I2A3. The results of this study state that the effect of salt stress on cilantro was more destructive compared to drought stress. Besides, coexistence of the drought and salinity stress was deteriorated and the results demonstrate their roughly additive effects on the plant mineral content.