Root-mediated acidification and resistance to low calcium improve wheat (Triticum aestivum) performance in saline-sodic conditions

Salinity represents a medium with high soluble salts where as sodicity represents a medium with high exchangeable sodium, low calcium and highly alkaline pH. Salinity and sodicity commonly occur together in salt-affected soils however physiological studies have mostly considered salinity alone ending up in poor field success of the selected genetic resources. Similarly, the role of root-mediated acidification in salt resistance is not known in wheat. Here six wheat genotypes were exposed to salinity (NaCl: 125 mM), low calcium (25% of non-treated control) and salinity + low calcium in solution culture. There were significant differences among the wheat genotypes for growth and leaf ionic composition under salinity, low calcium and salinity + low calcium treatments. The wheat genotypes SARC-1, 25-SAWSN-42 and Pasban-90 accumulated higher K+ and Ca2+ and lower Na+ and Cl and were resistant to the combined stress of low calcium and salinity. These genotypes also showed higher root-mediated acidification under stress conditions. The wheat genotypes resistant to salinity + low calcium supply in solution culture also performed better in the saline-sodic soil in a lysimeter study. A genotype resistant to salinity alone accumulated lower Ca2+ and showed lower rhizosphere acidification potential and did not perform good in saline-sodic soil conditions. Therefore, root-mediated acidification potential and resistance to low calcium supply improves resistance of wheat to saline-sodic conditions. It is further suggested that screening of the wheat germplasm for saline-sodic soils should be carried out at salinity + low calcium to better simulate saline-sodic field conditions.