Vegetos

Abstract

Commercial Strawberry Cultivars (Adina, Belrubi, Chandler, Dana, Etna, Pajaro and Selva) and its wild (Fragaria vesca L.,) species were evaluated under induced NaCl stress levels (0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%,1.0.%, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 3.0%) with regard to growth and antioxidant enzymes for two consecutive seasons under Allahabad subtropical agro climatic conditions. The cultivars Adina, Belrubi, Chandler, Dana, Etna, Pajaro and Selva of commercial importance and its wild relative (Fragaria vesca L.,). In growth, the plants attained the height in tolerant cultivar (selva) of 22 cm with 14 number of leaves 19 cm plant spread 82 cm2 leaf area 11.4cm petiole length and 07 number of fruits 6 and number of runners at 1.5% NaCl, selva and Belrubi cultivars produced higher amount of chlorophyll under salinity than wild species. SOD activity in the leaves of the salt sensitive cultivars Adina and chandler exhibited a decline with the increasing NaCl levels, moderately salt tolerant Dana and pajaro cultivars showed a decrease in SOD activity at high salinity level whereas the tolerant selva and belrubi did not show any decline in SOD activity at all, in fact a slight increase in SOD activity was observed with increasing salinization. The CAT activities decreased in all the treatments only in Adina cultivar while it remained almost unchanged or slightly increased depending on the crop period in selva, belrubi, and to certain extent in pajaro and dana at 0.75% NaCl. APX activity sharply increased in 0.75% NaCl treatments for Period in selva, Belrubi Cultivars respectively. All the results indicated that the high salt tolerance (tolerance LT 50) and higher constitutive activity of antioxidant enzymes made Selva, Belrubi, tolerant cultivars and Pajaro and Dana moderately salt tolerant cultivars.