Interactive salinity and water stress severely reduced the growth, stress tolerance, and physiological responses of guava (Psidium Guajava L.)

Salinity and water stress are serious environmental issues that reduced crop production worldwide. The current research was initiated (2012) in the wirehouse of the Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan to investigate the growth, stress tolerance, and physiological responses of guava to salinity and water shortage. Guava was grown for one year in pots containing soil with Eight treatments (control, 10 dS m−1, 20 dS m−1, 40 dS m−1, control + water stress (WS), 10 dS m−1 + WS, 20 dS m−1 + WS, 40 dS m−1 + WS) in a completely randomized design. The results indicated that plant growth, stress tolerance, and physiological parameters declined at higher salinity and water stress and could not survive at 40 dS m−1. The 20 dS m−1 + WS caused a > 70% decline in dry weights of shoot and root regarding control. Similarly, the highest decrease in stress tolerance was noticed in 20 dS m−1 + WS followed by the 20 dS m−1 treatment than control. Our findings validated that guava can be cultivated on soils having salinity ≤ 10 dS m−1 but it could not be cultivated on soils having salinity ≥ 20 dS m−1 with limited water supply.