Iron Toxicity Tolerance of Rice Genotypes in Relation to Growth,Yield and Physiochemical Characters

Iron(Fe)toxicity,generated from excess reduced ferrous Fe(Fe^(2+))ion formation within the soil under submerged condition,is a potent environmental stress that limits lowland rice production.Total 11 diverse Thai rice genotypes,including a recognized tolerant genotype Azucena and a susceptible genotype IR64,were evaluated against 5 Fe^(2+)levels[0(control),150,300,600 and 900 mg/L]to screen the tested genotypes for their Fe-toxicity tolerance and to classify them as a sensitive/tolerant category.The evaluation was conducted by a germination study,followed by a polyhouse study on growth,yield and physiochemical performances.Results showed significant variations in Fe^(2+)-tolerance across genotypes.Increasing Fe^(2+)level beyond 300 mg/L was detrimental for germination and growth of all the tested genotypes,although germination responses were negatively affected at Fe^(2+)≥300 mg/L.Physiochemical responses in the form of leaf greenness,net photosynthetic rate,membrane stability index and Fe contents in leaf and root were the most representative of Fe^(2+)-toxicity-mediated impairments on overall growth and yield.Difference in physiochemical responses was effectively correlated with the contrasting ability of the genotypes on lowering excess Fe^(2+)in tissues.Analysis of average tolerance and stress tolerance index unveiled that the genotypes RD85 and RD31 were the closest to the tolerant check Azucena and the sensitive check IR64,respectively.The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic means clustering revealed three major clusters,with cluster Ⅱ(four genotypes)being Fe^(2+)tolerant and cluster Ⅰ(four genotypes)being Fe^(2+)sensitive.Principal component(PC)analysis and genotype by trait-biplot analysis showed that the first two components explained 90.5%of the total variation,with PC1 accounting for 56.6%and PC2 for 33.9%of the total variation.The identified tolerant rice genotypes show potentials for cultivation in Fe^(2+)-toxic lowlands for increased productivity.The findings contribute to the present understanding on Fe^(2+)-toxicity response and provide a basis for future genotype selection or rice crop improvement programs against Fe^(2+)-toxicity.

Comparative Effects of Salt Stress and Extreme pH Stress Combined on Glycinebetaine Accumulation,Photosynthetic Abilities and Growth Characters of Two Rice Genotypes

Glycinebetaine （Glybet） accumulation, photosynthetic efficiency and growth performance in indica rice cultivated under salt stress and extreme pH stress were investigated. Betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase （BADH） activity and Glybet accumulation in the seedlings of salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive rice varieties grown under saline and acidic conditions peaked after treatment for 72 h and 96 h, respectively, and were higher than those grown under neutral pH and alkaline salt stress. A positive correlation was found between BADH activity and Glybet content in both salt-tolerant （P=0.71） and salt-sensitive （P=0.86） genotypes. The chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and total carotenoids contents in the stressed seedlings significantly decreased under both acidic and alkaline stresses, especially in the salt-sensitive genotype. Similarly, the maximum quantum yield of PSII （Fv/Fm）, photon yield of PSII （ФPSII）, non-photochemical quenching （NPQ） and net photosynthetic rate （Pn） in the stressed seedlings were inhibited, leading to overall growth reduction. The positive correlations between chlorophyll a content and Fv/Fm, total chlorophyll content and ФPSII, and Pn as well as Pn and leaf area in both salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive genotypes were found. Saline acidic and saline alkaline soils may play a key role affecting vegetative growth prior to the reproductive stage in rice plants.

Proline Accumulation,Photosynthetic Abilities and Growth Characters of Sugarcane(Saccharum officinarum L.) Plantlets in Response to Iso-Osmotic Salt and Water-Deficit Stress

The aim of this study was to investigate the biochemical, physiological and morphological responses of sugarcane to iso- osmotic salt and water-deficit stress. Disease-free sugarcane plantlets derived from meristem cuttings were photo- autotrophically grown in MS media and subsequently exposed to -0.23 （control）, -0.67 or -1.20 MPa iso-osmotic NaCl （salt stress） or mannitol （water-deficit stress）. Chlorophyll a （Chl a）, chlorophyll b （Chl b）, total carotenoids （Cx＋c）, maximum quantum yield of PSII （Fv/Fm）, photon yield of PSII （ΦPSII）, stomatal conductance （Gs） and transpiration rate （E） in the stressed plantlets were significantly reduced when compared to those of plantlets of the control group （without mannitol or NaCl）, leading to net-photosynthetic rate （Pn） and growth reduction with positive correlation. In addition, physiological changes and growth parameters of plantlets in the salt stress conditions were more sharply reduced than those in waterdeficit stress conditions. On the other hand, the proline content and non-photochemical quenching （NPQ） in the leaves of stressed plantlets increased significantly, especially in response to iso-osmotic salt stress. The chlorophyll pigments in iso-osmotic stressed leaves were significantly degraded （r^2 = 0.93）, related to low water oxidation （r^2 = 0.87）, low net- photosynthetic rate （r^2 = 0.81）, and growth reduction （r^2 = 0.97）. The multivariate biochemical, physiological and growth parameters in the present study should be further used to develop salt, or drought, tolerance indices in sugarcane breeding programs.