Effect of salinity and drought stress on potassium uptake in musa Spp in vitro

Abstract EN

The study was executed from the period of 2014 to 2015 seasons at the tissue culture laboratory of the Horticulture department, Faculty of Agriculture – Assiut University In vitro grown banana plantlets of Grand Nain and Zeev cultivars were treated with NaCl at 0,30,60,120, and 200 mM/L to study the effect of salinity stress on the plantlets or with PEG at 0,10,20,30, and 40g/L for drought investigation.

The obtained results could be concluded as follow: 1-Effect of salinity: Plantlet height, fresh weight, dry weight and number of leaves/plantlet significantly decreased by increasing the NaCl concentration from Zero to 200 mM/L for both tested cultivars during 2014 and 2015 season.

Total chlorophyll and K+ content significantly decreased, while sodium content significantly increased by increasing NaCl concentrations as compared with untreated plantlets (control).