Photosynthesis, ion accumulation, antioxidants activities and yield responses of different cotton genotypes to mixed salt stress

摘要

This study analyzes the effects of soil salinity on photosynthetic character, osmoregulation, content of pigment, K+/Na+ ratio, lipoxygenase and antioxidants activities in functional leaves during the flowering and boll-forming stages of two cotton cultivars, namely, CCRI-44 (salt-tolerant) and Sumian12 (salt-sensitive), grown under different soil salinity conditions. In the control plants, non-significant differences were found in gas exchange, saturation irradiance (SI) and carotenoid (Car) content between the two cultivars. However, it showed higher K+/Na+ ratio, antioxidant enzyme activities, soluble sugar and protein contents, and lower chlorophyll (Chl) content and yield in CCRI-44. Salinity stresses remarkably increased soluble sugar and protein contents, lipoxygenase and the antioxidant activities, but decreased K+/Na+ ratio, Chl and Car contents, SI, photosynthetic capacities and yield, the extent being considerably larger in Sumian12 than CCRI-44. Although the soluble sugar, protein contents and the antioxidant activities of Sumian12 elevated more evidently under salt stresses, those variables never reached the levels of CCRI-44. Thus, CCRI-44 could maintain higher seed cotton yield than Sumian12 by sustaining higher osmoregulation and antioxidative abilities, which led to higher photosynthetic capacity. Hence, the salt-tolerant cotton cultivars could harmonize the relationship between CO2 assimilation (source) and the seed cotton yield (sink) under the experimental conditions.