Abstract
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a crop with important agronomic interest worldwide. Because of the increase of drought and salinity in many cultivation areas as a result of anthropogenic global warming, the obtention of varieties tolerant to these conditions is a major objective for agronomical improvement. The identification of the limiting factors for stress tolerance could help to define the objectives and the traits which could be improved by classical breeding or other techniques. With this objective, we have characterized, at the physiological and biochemical levels, two different cultivars (sensitive or tolerant) of two different melon varieties (Galia and Piel de Sapo) under controlled drought or salt stress. We have performed physiological measurements, a complete amino acid profile and we have determined the sodium, potassium and hormone concentrations. This has allowed us to determine that the distinctive general trait for salt tolerance in melon are the levels of phenylalanine, histidine, proline and the Na+/K+ ratio, while the distinctive traits for drought tolerance are the hydric potential, isoleucine, glycine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, serine, and asparagine. These could be useful markers for breeding strategies or to predict which varieties are likely perform better under drought or salt stress. Our study has also allowed us to identify which metabolites and physiological traits are differentially regulated upon salt and drought stress between different varieties.
Highlights
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a major crop with great agronomic and economic interest, considered a gourmet food in several markets and cultures
The water potential increased upon stress between 1.12 and 1.25 for salt stress and 1.3 and 2.67 for drought stress, validating our experimental design
The salinity treatment had a negative effect on stomatal conductance, while the drought stress had a more modest effect on this parameter, observing minor differences when compared to the corresponding control (Figure 1B)
Summary
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a major crop with great agronomic and economic interest, considered a gourmet food in several markets and cultures. In the current context of anthropogenic global warming and the subsequent climate change, aridity is increasing in traditional cultivation areas, and melon culture is subjected to increasing abiotic stress, which compromises the yield. It is estimated that 20% of all arable land and almost half of the land with water availability are affected by salts, significantly reducing yield below the genetic potential of most crops (Botella et al, 2007; Chandna et al, 2014). Saline stress leads to deterioration of soil structure and prevents the air-water balance, essential for biological processes occurring in the roots (Galvan-Ampudia et al, 2013). Saline soils reduce the biomass production of crops affecting important biochemical and physiological processes in the plant (Serrano et al, 1999)
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