Beneficial effects of iodate in the maintenance of ionic homeostasis of salt-stressed strawberry

Since the role of iodate in the maintenance of ionic homeostasis under salinity stress is poorly understood, the present study was performed to address this issue. Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) plants were grown under controlled conditions, and soils of iodine treatment were fertilized with KIO3 (5 and 50 mg/kg soil) before filling the pots. Statistical analysis was performed by Sigma Stat (3.5) software with Tukey test (p<0.05) on the basis of Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Root pretreatment of KIO3 (at both 5 and 50 mg/kg) did not affect shoot growth under control conditions. In contrast, salt stress decreased shoot growth in KIO3-untreated plants. However, salt-induced negative effects were significantly reduced in the KIO3-pretreated plants, only at KIO3 50 mg/kg concentration. In contrast to the control condition, salinity alone caused an increase in internal Na+ and an obvious decrease in K+ content. However, Ca2+ uptake appeared unaffected by KIO3 or salinity. We observed that KIO3 in the saline soil diminished the Na+ content in dry matter and enhanced the K+ content, especially at KIO3 50 mg/kg concentration, consequently an increase in the ratio of K+ to Na+. These data provided the first evidence that the root-applied KIO3 pretreatment alleviated salt stress in strawberry by controlling mineral homeostasis, resulting in better growth under salt stress

کلیدواژه ها:

Strawberry ، Root-applied iodate ، Mineral homeostasis ، NaCl stress