Dry matter partitioning and mineral composition of roots, stems and leaves of guava grown under salt stress conditions

A greenhouse experiment was conducted with the objective of studying the response of guava plants (Psidium guajava L.) to increasing levels of NaCl concentrations. Plants were grown in nutrient solutions, with 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150 mM of NaCl, and harvested 30 and 50 days after saline stress in a complete randomized design. The following traits were studied: shoot, root and total plant dry matter and the percentage of Na, Cl, K, Ca and Mg in plant dry matter. Dry matter yield decreased when salinity increased. The root/shoot ratio decreased with the saline treatment. Salinity stress caused an increase in the levels of Na+ and Cl-. The highest ion accumulation was found in the leaves followed by the roots. The Ca levels were stable in the roots, but decreased in stems and leaves. The K content was reduced with the increased levels of salinity, particularly in the leaves. On the other hand, Mg levels were not affected by salinity in stems and roots but decreased in the leaves. There was a positive relationship between Na and Cl and a negative relationship between Na and K concentration in roots and leaves. Mg concentration in leaves and roots did not vary with the concentration of Na. The concentration of Ca did not vary with Na in the leaves but showed an inverse relationship in the roots.