Response of Sultana vines (V-vinifera L.) on six rootstocks to NaCl salinity exposure and recovery

One-year-old Sultana (Vitis vinifera L.) vines, own-rooted and grafted on 4 1 B, 110R, 140Ru, 1103P and SO4 were grown in sand-perlite mixture (1:1) ir rigated with half-strength nutrient solution containing 5, 25, 50 and 100 m M of NaCl. Growth, tissue mineral content and leaf gas exchange response to salt treatment and subsequent recovery were examined over a 70-day period. Shoot growth, leaf area and total dry weight were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) at all salinity levels. Tissue salt content increased significantl y with increasing salinity, Cl- being always higher than Na+. Photosyntheti c rate (P-n) and stomatal conductance (g(s)) were greatly reduced by salini ty and highly correlated with leaf Cl- content. Own-rooted vines exhibited higher dry matter production and photosynthetic rates than grafted vines, d espite the higher Cl- and Na+ content. During recovery, vines previously tr eated with 50 and 100 mM NaCl exhibited photosynthetic rates and stomatal c onductances similar to the control, although laminae Na+ and Cl- content co ntinued to increase. Our results showed that own-rooted 'Sultana' vines (V. vinifera) can cope better with high salinity followed by those grafted on 1103P, 140Ru, 110R, SO4 and 41B rootstocks. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.