Morphological and Physiological Response of Potato for Radiation and Salt Stress in vitro

Abstract

The experiments were undertaken to study the response and behavior of two mutant clones of Potato genotype for salt stress by exposing it to different salt levels of sodium chloride (with electrical conductivity of 8, 10, 12 dS m-1) and compare with those in the control treatment 6 dS m-1. The morphological response was determined by measuring the morphological characteristics of vegetation, root growth, tuber formation. While the physiological response was determined by estimating some ions in the vegetative and root growth. The results showed a significant decrease in the morphological characteristics of the vegetative growth (number of shoots, plant height and dry weight) and tuber formation by increasing salt levels, while the characteristics of the root growth (number of roots, lengths and dry weight) were not affected. There is no significant difference in the behavior of the two clones under saline levels, except for the superiority of vegetative clone (C₂) at comparison treatment in the number of shoots (2.00 shoot / plant), and vegetative clone (C₁) at comparison treatment and 12 ds m-1 in the shoot length and the percentage of tuber formation (13.40 cm and 100% Respectively). The results also recorded that the root growth of vegetative clone (C₂) was a significant accumulation of Na⁺ and Ca⁺⁺  at 12 dS m-1 which reached 8.33 and 23.38 mg-1 gm dry weight, respectively, while the accumulation of  K+ in vegetative clone (C₁) was increased by the root growth in the control  treatment which  reached 45.03 mg -1 gm dry weight.