Selenium and Hydrogen Sulfide Mitigate the Adverse Effects of Salinity on Growth, Yield, and Mineral Nutrient Status in Strawberry

Salinity and a lack of proper irrigation water in recent years have seriously affected the maintenance of crops, including strawberries. In this study, an experiment consisted of 2 treatment factors. The first factor, anti-stress compounds, occurred at four levels (control, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) as 200 & mu;M sodium-hydrosulfide (NaHS) by foliar application once a week, selenium (Se) as 1 mg L-1 sodium selenate (Na2SeO4) in the nutrient solution, and H2S+Se). The second factor, salinity, occurred at two levels (0 and 40 mM NaCl). Each treatment group had 4 replications. Rooted strawberry plants (cv. "Parus") grew in plastic pots filled with cocopeat/perlite (v/v 1:1). The H2S, Se, and H2S+Se treatments alleviated the adverse effects of salinity on leaf area by 67, 63, and 73%, respectively, and on yield by 66, 63, and 82%, respectively. The highest inhibition percentage of free radicals (84%), anthocyanin content, and the highest concentrations of potassium and calcium in fruits were observed in plants of the H2S+Se treatment group. The Se treatment increased the concentration of selenium from 2.67 to 3.02 mg kg(-1) dry weight of fruit. Thus, under salinity stress, the combined application of the two anti-stress compounds (H2S and Se) strengthened the antioxidant system and adjusted the balance of nutrient absorption, thereby reducing the adverse effects of salinity stress on growth parameters and increasing the strawberry yield, compared to the control and separate application of each of these two compounds.