Studies on the salt tolerance of some strawberry cultivars under glasshouse

In this study, the salt (NaCl) sensitivity of some the native strawberry cultivars; Arnavutkoy, Yalova-15 (Y15), Yalova-104 (Y104), Yalova- 416 (Y416) which are cross bred cultivars of Arnavutkoy x Aliso and of foreign cultivars as Douglas, Aliso and Dorit (216) was studied. The strawberry plants were grown in bags filled with a substrate mixture (11.11% agro perlit, 66.66% peat of Yenicag and 22.22% sand) and were irrigated with saline water (control (0.5), 10, 12, 14, 16 mmol l(-1) NaCl under glasshouse conditions. Generally, salinity decreased plant dry and fresh weight, plant length, titratable acidity, soluble solids and mean plant fruit yield at salt levels ranging between 10 - 16 mmol l(-1) NaCl. The mean plant fruit yield was significantly reduced as 5.82% at 10 mmol l(-1) to 34.68% at 16 mmol l(-1) NaCl. The mean leaf area was significantly reduced (6.72 % at 14 mmol l(-1), 9.97 % at 16 mmol l(-1) NaCl) at levels higher than 12 mmol l(-1) NaCl. Overall leaf symptoms according to subjectively determined salt resistance score of stunted plants and dead leave increased at high NaCl concentrations (14.69% at 12 mmol l(-1) - 41.20% at 16 mmol l(-1) NaCl). The cross - bred cultivars [Y15 (11.75%), Y104 (12.67%), Y416 (18.10%)] had higher subjective tolerance than the foreign cultivars [Dorit (24.76%), Douglas (27.24%), Aliso (29.60%)] during the vegetative growth. Especially, it appears that "Y104" strawberry plants is the most resistant. The salinity threshold values were low at < 12 mmol l(-1). The relative resistance categories could be differentiated at 12-16 mmol l(-1), where as no separation was obtained at 0.5 - 10 mmol l(-1) NaCl. The salinity threshold values at 10 mmol l(-1) NaCl were 11.25% (Arnavutkoy) and 29.60% (Aliso).