The validity of carbon isotope discrimination as a screening criterion for grain yield in two barley landraces under deficit irrigation with saline water in southern Tunisia

• Published in: Plant Biotechnology Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 193 - 206
• Main Authors: Bagues, Mohamed, Sarabi, Behrooz, Ghashghaie, Jaleh, Souli, Ikbel, Nagaz, Kamel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology 25.09.2018; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Arid regions; Barley; Breeding; Carbohydrates; carbon isotope discrimination; Carbon isotopes; Cluster analysis; Clustering; Crop yield; Cultivars; Cultivation; deficit irrigation with saline water; Dependent variables; Drought; grain yield; Independent variables; Irrigation; Irrigation water; Life Sciences; Lipid peroxidation; Lipids; Magnesium; Mineral composition; multivariate analysis; Original Paper; Osmotic potential; Peroxidation; Proline; Regression analysis; Saline water; Semi arid areas; Semiarid lands; Water quality; Water treatment; Water use; Water use efficiency; Zinc; carbon isotope discrimination; barley; grain yield; deficit irrigation with saline water; multivariate analysis
• ISSN: 1342-4580; 1347-6114
• DOI: 10.5511/plantbiotechnology.18.0502a

Arid and semiarid regions with rain shortage and scarce good quality water must make use of low-quality water for irrigation. Consequently, improved plant cultivars for use in these areas should show adaptation capacities to confer drought and salt resistance and allow the cultivation under limited water availabiltiy. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of deficit irrigation with saline water on two local barley landraces, “Karkeni” and “Bengardeni”. Plants were saline-irrigated with three watering regimes during tillering, heading, and grain filling stages. Biochemical traits, carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C), mineral composition, grain yield (GY) and water use efficiency based on grain yield (WUEgy) were evaluated as performance indicators. Almost all of the studied traits (e.g. soluble carbohydrates, proline, ∆13C, Na concentration, and GY) were significantly affected by deficient saline-irrigation regimes at different growth stages. The hierarchical clustering analysis clearly showed that Δ13C placed very close to GY averaging two barley landraces, which was in accordance with the scatter plot result. Multiple linear regression performed between GY as the dependent variable and other traits studied as the independent variables indicated that WUEgy, Δ13C, and soluble carbohydrates significantly explained the variability in GY (R2=95.64%). A significant positive correlation that observed between ∆13C and GY at three growth stages, indicated that ∆13C may be an important proxy component for indirect selection of yield potential in barley under deficient irrigation regimes with saline water. According to our result, “Karkeni” seems to be more efficient in terms of higher GY, WUEgy, proline and carbohydrate contents, K, Mg and Zn concentrations, as well as lower Δ13C and lipid peroxidation as compared with “Bengardeni”, under low osmotic potential imposed by deficient irrigation treatments with saline water, “Karkeni” can thus be selected and used as a parent in order to obtain more tolerant plants against such stresses in future breeding programs.