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Abstract
In order to study the effects of salinity and water stress on growth and macronutrients concentration of pomegranate plant leaves, a factorial experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with 0, 30, and 60 mM of salinity levels of sodium chloride and calcium chloride (1:1) and three irrigation intervals (2, 4, and 6 days) with 3 replications on ‘Rabab’ and ‘Shishegap’ cultivars of pomegranate. The results of the shoot and root analysis indicated that the salinity and drought affected the concentration and distribution of sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), chloride (Cl−), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), and phosphorus (P+) in pomegranate leaves. Mineral concentrations of sodium (Na+), chloride (Cl-), potassium (K+), in shoots and roots were increased with increasing salinity. Drought treatments increased the concentration of Cl−, Na+, and Mg2+ in the shoot. Both cultivars showed significant differences in the concentrations of elements, however the most accumulation of Na+ and Cl− was observed in ‘Rabab,’ while the ‘Shishegap’ cultivar had the most absorption of K+. ‘Shishegap’ cultivar showed higher tolerance to salinity than ‘Rabab’ through maintaining the vegetative growth and lower chloride transport to the shoot, and improvement of potassium transport to shoot.