Salinity Stress and Calcium in Pomegranate: Impacts on Growth, Ion Homeostasis, and Photosynthesis
Salinity has significant impacts on crops, a problem that is exacerbated under climate change conditions. For this reason, research is focused on possible ways to mitigate the impacts by adapting cultivation methods such as administering appropriate materials or formulations to plants. Therefore, th...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Christos Chatzissavvidis Nina Devetzi Chrysovalantou Antonopoulou Ioannis E. Papadakis Ioannis Therios Stefanos Koundouras |
| author_facet | Christos Chatzissavvidis Nina Devetzi Chrysovalantou Antonopoulou Ioannis E. Papadakis Ioannis Therios Stefanos Koundouras |
| author_sort | Christos Chatzissavvidis |
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| description | Salinity has significant impacts on crops, a problem that is exacerbated under climate change conditions. For this reason, research is focused on possible ways to mitigate the impacts by adapting cultivation methods such as administering appropriate materials or formulations to plants. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of calcium (Ca<sup>2+</sup>) supplementation on the growth, physiology, and chemical composition of pomegranate plants (<i>Punica granatum</i> L. cv. ‘Wonderful’) grown under salinity stress. Young self-rooted plants were cultivated in pots containing a sand/perlite (1:1) mixture and irrigated with Hoagland’s nutrient solution amended with NaCl (0, 60, or 120 mM) and CaCl<sub>2</sub>·2H<sub>2</sub>O (0 or 10 mM). Salinity significantly reduced the fresh and dry weight of aboveground tissues; photosynthetic performance; chlorophyll content; and potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) concentrations, particularly under high NaCl levels. Sodium (Na) accumulation increased in all plant parts, while nitrogen (N), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) concentrations were elevated in basal leaves. Calcium supplementation mitigated several of these adverse effects, especially under moderate salinity. It helped maintain leaf biomass, supported K<sup>+</sup> retention in roots, partially improved chlorophyll concentration, and limited Na<sup>+</sup> accumulation in certain tissues. However, Ca<sup>2+</sup> application did not consistently reverse the negative impacts of severe salinity (120 mM NaCl), and in some cases, interactions between Ca<sup>2+</sup> and other nutrients such as Mg<sup>2+</sup> were antagonistic. These findings confirm the inherent salt tolerance of pomegranate and demonstrate that calcium plays a partially protective role under salinity, particularly at moderate stress levels. Further research is needed to optimize Ca<sup>2+</sup> use in saline agriculture and enhance sustainable cultivation of pomegranate in salt-affected soils. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e0b1414d183c44a5b1a6349c8b635ff3 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-e0b1414d183c44a5b1a6349c8b635ff32025-08-20T02:45:56ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242025-07-0111778610.3390/horticulturae11070786Salinity Stress and Calcium in Pomegranate: Impacts on Growth, Ion Homeostasis, and PhotosynthesisChristos Chatzissavvidis0Nina Devetzi1Chrysovalantou Antonopoulou2Ioannis E. Papadakis3Ioannis Therios4Stefanos Koundouras5Laboratory of Pomology, Vegetable Crops and Floriculture, Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, Pantazidou 193, 68200 Orestiada, GreeceLaboratory of Pomology, Vegetable Crops and Floriculture, Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, Pantazidou 193, 68200 Orestiada, GreeceLaboratory of Pomology, Vegetable Crops and Floriculture, Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, Pantazidou 193, 68200 Orestiada, GreeceLaboratory of Pomology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceSchool of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSchool of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSalinity has significant impacts on crops, a problem that is exacerbated under climate change conditions. For this reason, research is focused on possible ways to mitigate the impacts by adapting cultivation methods such as administering appropriate materials or formulations to plants. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of calcium (Ca<sup>2+</sup>) supplementation on the growth, physiology, and chemical composition of pomegranate plants (<i>Punica granatum</i> L. cv. ‘Wonderful’) grown under salinity stress. Young self-rooted plants were cultivated in pots containing a sand/perlite (1:1) mixture and irrigated with Hoagland’s nutrient solution amended with NaCl (0, 60, or 120 mM) and CaCl<sub>2</sub>·2H<sub>2</sub>O (0 or 10 mM). Salinity significantly reduced the fresh and dry weight of aboveground tissues; photosynthetic performance; chlorophyll content; and potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) concentrations, particularly under high NaCl levels. Sodium (Na) accumulation increased in all plant parts, while nitrogen (N), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) concentrations were elevated in basal leaves. Calcium supplementation mitigated several of these adverse effects, especially under moderate salinity. It helped maintain leaf biomass, supported K<sup>+</sup> retention in roots, partially improved chlorophyll concentration, and limited Na<sup>+</sup> accumulation in certain tissues. However, Ca<sup>2+</sup> application did not consistently reverse the negative impacts of severe salinity (120 mM NaCl), and in some cases, interactions between Ca<sup>2+</sup> and other nutrients such as Mg<sup>2+</sup> were antagonistic. These findings confirm the inherent salt tolerance of pomegranate and demonstrate that calcium plays a partially protective role under salinity, particularly at moderate stress levels. Further research is needed to optimize Ca<sup>2+</sup> use in saline agriculture and enhance sustainable cultivation of pomegranate in salt-affected soils.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/7/786alleviationclimate changeminor cropspomegranatestress |
| spellingShingle | Christos Chatzissavvidis Nina Devetzi Chrysovalantou Antonopoulou Ioannis E. Papadakis Ioannis Therios Stefanos Koundouras Salinity Stress and Calcium in Pomegranate: Impacts on Growth, Ion Homeostasis, and Photosynthesis Horticulturae alleviation climate change minor crops pomegranate stress |
| title | Salinity Stress and Calcium in Pomegranate: Impacts on Growth, Ion Homeostasis, and Photosynthesis |
| title_full | Salinity Stress and Calcium in Pomegranate: Impacts on Growth, Ion Homeostasis, and Photosynthesis |
| title_fullStr | Salinity Stress and Calcium in Pomegranate: Impacts on Growth, Ion Homeostasis, and Photosynthesis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Salinity Stress and Calcium in Pomegranate: Impacts on Growth, Ion Homeostasis, and Photosynthesis |
| title_short | Salinity Stress and Calcium in Pomegranate: Impacts on Growth, Ion Homeostasis, and Photosynthesis |
| title_sort | salinity stress and calcium in pomegranate impacts on growth ion homeostasis and photosynthesis |
| topic | alleviation climate change minor crops pomegranate stress |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/7/786 |
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