Dry waste of red tea leaves and rose petals confer salinity stress tolerance in strawberry plants via modulation of growth and physiology

Abstract

Climate change is considered one of the major contributing factors to soil salinization, leading to land degradation. Several alternative organic waste materials are proposed for agricultural sustainability. Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa cv. Tioga) is one of the most consumed crop plants on a global scale due to its numerous economic and industrial benefits. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand how varying concentrations of diluted salt water (0%, 10%, 40%, 80%, 100%) affected the growth and physiology of Fragaria ananassa cv. Tioga. Our results indicated that shoot fresh weight (SFW), shoot dry weight (SDW), root fresh weight (RFW), root dry weight (RDW), leaf area, fruits weight, fruits per plants, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll a and b significantly decreased in salt-stressed strawberry plants as compared to control plants. Moreover, salinity stress increased the malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), sodium (Na) content, SOD and APX activity. However, the application of dry waster of tea leaves (DWT) and dry waste of rose petals (DWR) led to improvements in chlorophyll content, RWC and potassium (K) content, antioxidant enzymes activity, and fruit yield of strawberry plants. In comparison to DWT, the best outcome was observed in plants treated with DWR, suggesting a new and eco-friendly strategy to increase crop yields under salt stress in commercial production. In conclusion, DWT and DWR treatments helps in the improvement of strawberries grown under salt stress conditions and increases their tolerance to salt stress.

Keywords

• Antioxidant enzymes
• Chlorophyll content
• Malondialdehyde
• Seawater
• Sodium
• Waste valorization