NATURAMIN-WSP SALT

STRESS

2017
 Introduction

Salinity is a major stress limiting the increase in the demand for food crops. More than 20%
of cultivated land worldwide is affected by salt stress and the amount is increasing day by
day. Salinity is one of the most brutal environmental stresses that hamper crop productivity
worldwide
Salinity stress involves changes in various physiological and metabolic processes, depending
on severity and duration of the stress, and ultimately inhibits crop production. Initially soil
salinity is known to represses plant growth in the form of osmotic stress which is then followed
by ion toxicity. During the initial phases of salinity stress, water absorption capacity of root
systems decreases and water loss from leaves is accelerated due to osmotic stress of high salt
accumulation in soil and plants, and therefore salinity stress is also considered as
hyperosmotic stress. Osmotic stress in the initial stage of salinity stress causes various
physiological changes, such as interruption of membranes, nutrient imbalance, impairs the
ability to detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS), differences in the antioxidant enzymes and
decreased photosynthetic activity, and decrease in stomatal aperture. One of the most
detrimental effects of salinity stress is the accumulation of Na+ and Cl− ions in tissues of
plants exposed to soils with high NaCl concentrations.
 Example of affected area by salinity:
Chile

 In Chile, the main limitant factor of water salinity is the concentration of

chlorides (Cl-). In avocado, it is reported that water must contain less than 120-
150 mg/L in case of trees grafted on mexican rootstocks, or less than 200-250
mg/L in trees grafted on antillana race rootstocks, which are in general more
tolerant to salinity.**

 Avocado is one of the most salinity sensitive horticultural crops, but is commonly
grown in areas having saline irrigation water. Resulting problems associated
with high soil salinity and chloride toxicity include reductions in fruit yield and
tree size, lowered leaf chlorophyll content, decreased photosynthesis, poor root
growth, and leaf scorching (Mickelbart et al., 2007).

** El cultivo del Palto, boletín INIA Nº 129 Gamalier Lemus, Raúl Ferreyra, Pilar Gil, Paulina Sepúlveda, Patricio Maldonad,
Carlos Toledo

Mickelbart MV, Melser S, and Arpaia ML. 2007. Salinity-induced changes in ion concentrations of 'Hass' avocado trees on
three rootstocks. J. Plant Nutr. 30:105–122
 Materials and methods
 Objective: To determine the effect of Naturamin WSP application over lettuce plants subject
to saline stress.
 Plants of lettuce from nursery were trasplanted to pots with a substrate where salt stress was
forced. A solution of 50 mM of NaCl was added and 3 days after a solution of 100 mM of
NaCl.
 1 week after the plants were set, they were treated with Naturamin WSP by foliar
application and by irrigation at different dosages (see table 1).
 Plants were kept in greenhouse conditions for 30 days and after the following assesments
were made:
 Aerial fresh weight, roots fresh weight
 Foliar analysis: NPK, Chlorides, Sodium
 Materials and methods
2 applications separated by 7 days

Thesis Application form Dosage

Control – plants without NaCl
Control – plants with NaCl
Naturamin WSP Foliar 0,5 g/L
Naturamin WSP Foliar 1 g/L
Naturamin WSP Root application 3 kg/ha
Naturamin WSP Root application 5 kg/ha

Randomly block design with 3 replicates and 6 plants per replicate.

 Results
80

d
70

60 c
c

bc
c
50 b

a
40 b
b
b
b

30
a

20
Aerial fresh weight
Peso Fresco (g)
Aérea (g) Peso Roots
Frescofresh
raícesweight
(g) (g)
Control sin NaCl Control con NaCl Naturamin WSP foliar 0,5 g/L
Naturamin WSP foliar 1 g/L Naturamin WSP radicular 3 kg/ha Naturamin WSP radicular 5 kg/ha
Results - Dry matter (%)
70

68

66

64

62

60

58

56

54

52

50
Materia seca (%)

Control sin NaCl Control con NaCl Naturamin WSP foliar 0,5 g/L
Naturamin WSP foliar 1 g/L Naturamin WSP radicular 3 kg/ha Naturamin WSP radicular 5 kg/ha
Results – Cl- and Na content

8000

7000

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0
Cl- (ppm) Na (ppm)

Control sin NaCl Control con NaCl Naturamin WSP foliar 0,5 g/L

Naturamin WSP foliar 1 g/L Naturamin WSP radicular 3 kg/ha Naturamin WSP radicular 5 kg/ha
Conclusions

 In the stressed plants with NaCl an important reduction in aerial

and root system was observed, also an increase in chloride and
sodium content.

 Naturamin WSP by foliar application improved parameters,

specially the dosage of 1 g/L.

 Naturamin WSP by irrigation didn’t present a dosage response so

clear. Optimum dosage would be 5 kg/ha, because although there
are no statistically differences with 3 kg/ha dosage, there is a more
reduction in chlorides and sodium content.
Start of trial
End of trial
Control - Plants without NaCl Control - Plants with NaCl