In this study, the impact of silicon application under salt stress on growth and photosynthetic characteristics of GF677 and GN15 rootstocks in a hydroponic culture system was examined. The experiment was performed over the 2019 and 2020 years in the Horticultural Sciences research greenhouse, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University. The research was conducted in a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with three factors: rootstock at two levels (GF677 and GN15), salt stress at three levels (0, 50 and 100 mM sodium chloride) and silicon treatment at three levels (0, 1 and 2 mM) with three replications under greenhouse conditions. Results demonstrated the exposure of rootstocks to 100 mM salinity stress, caused a notable decrease in leaf production, with a 38.6% decrease observed in GF677 rootstock and a 53.2% decrease in GN15 compared to the control condition. Stem length also showed a substantial decline, as 40.1% in GF677 and 53.8% in GN15 rootstocks under the 100 mM salinity stress. Also the findings showed that the salt stress treatments caused a decrease in photosynthetic pigments and gas exchange indices. The application of silicon, improved all measured parameters in both studied rootstocks. In general, the results from this study demonstrated that silicon could increase the tolerance of the studied rootstocks to salt stress with the 2 mM concentration showing the most substantial effect.
gharbi P, amiri J, mahna N, naseri L, rasouli-sadaghiani H. Effect of Silicon on Growth and Photosynthetic Characteristics of Peach and Almond Hybrid (Prunus persica × Prunus amygdalus) GF677 and GN15 Rootstocks under Salinity Stress. IJHST 2024; 25 (2) :197-210 URL: http://journal-irshs.ir/article-1-704-en.html