Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Commercial Strawberry Cultivars under Optimal and Drought Stress Conditions

Improving the extent of adaptation and the choice of the most tolerant cultivar is the first step to mitigating the adverse effects of limited water, especially in susceptible plants such as strawberries. To address this issue, two commercial strawberry cultivars (Camarosa and Gaviota) were compared when irrigated to match 100, 75, 50, and 25% field capacity (FC) to simulate the control, slight, moderate, and severe drought stress conditions, respectively. Drought stress induced the reduction of total chlorophyll, carotenoid, relative water content, and phenolic content significantly, whereas the activity of antioxidant enzymes, electrolyte leakage, osmolyte accumulation, and oxidative markers upsurged progressively in drought severity-dependent behavior. Gaviota produced more proline, hydrogen peroxide as a marker of membrane lipid peroxidation and disposed of by higher electrolyte leakage, significantly. On the other hand, Camarosa having higher soluble carbohydrates as well as enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants could be considered a drought-tolerant cultivar. Genotypic variation between these cultivars could be used in breeding projects to promote drought-tolerant strawberries in the future.

Automated summary

Improving adaptation and choosing tolerant cultivars are crucial to mitigate water limitations in plants, especially strawberries. In this study, two strawberry cultivars, Camarosa and Gaviota, were compared under different drought conditions. Drought stress resulted in reduced chlorophyll content, increased oxidative markers, and other physiological changes. Gaviota exhibited higher proline production and electrolyte leakage, while Camarosa had more soluble carbohydrates and antioxidants, making it a potential drought-tolerant cultivar. Genotypic variation between these cultivars has potential for breeding drought-tolerant strawberries in the future.