Abstract

RODRIGUEZ-DELFIN, Alfredo; POSADAS, Adolfo  and  QUIROZ, Roberto. Yield and nutrient uptake in sweet potato plants grown with salt and water stress. Rev. Chapingo Ser.Hortic [online]. 2014, vol.20, n.1, pp.19-28. ISSN 2007-4034.  https://doi.org/10.5154/r.rchsh.2013.01.001.

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is a low production cost crop that is grown during almost the whole year, mainly in developing countries. In arid and semiarid regions, the presence of salinity and water stress can generate yield reductions and losses in the quality of the tuber roots. To address these issues, an experiment was performed to determine yield, N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Na uptake and proline content in plants belonging to two sweet potato cultivars with a different degree of salt tolerance, grown under three (0, 8 and 14 mmol NaCl) salt and two watering regimes (watering after two and four days), during summer-fall conditions of 2009. Salinity and watering frequencies were controlled by using the soilless culture technique. Both water and salt stresses reduced tuber root yields. The yield reduction is explained by a reduction in the uptake of N, P, K, Ca and Mg with the water stress treatment, and an increased Na uptake in the high salinity treatment. The salt and water stress adjustments were reflected in an increment in proline content in leaves and tuber roots. The results confirm the tolerant cultivar as a hardy variety adaptable to abiotic stresses, whereas the non-tolerant variety had lower yield and nutrient uptake. The results did not support the hypothesis that changes in proline content might be used as fast screening tools to discriminate between tolerant and susceptible sweet potato cultivars.

Keywords : Nitrogen; phosphorus; potassium; magnesium; calcium; sodium; proline.

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