Morpho-physiological and metabolic response of maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars under salt stress

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Rawaa Akrimi
Hichem Hajlaoui
Regional Center for Agricultural Research of Sidi Bouzid (CRRA), PB 357, Road Gafsa km6, Sidi Bouzid, 9100, Tunisia.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of salinity on the morpho-physiological response of maize. The experiment was conducted in a glazed greenhouse located at the Higher Institute of Agronomy of Chott Mariem, Sousse, Tunisia, with two maize cultivars (Aristo, Arper), and four salinity levels (0, 3.4, 6.8, 10.2 dS m-1). A total of 30 traits were evaluated, including agronomic, gas exchange, leaf anatomy, osmotic adjustment (OA), photosynthetic pigments, nitrogen (N) and soluble carbohydrates by gas chromatography. Results revealed significant decline of fresh and dry weight of leaves, stems and roots with salinity. The higher growth, OA, carbohydrates level, leaf water content (LWC), and reduced cuticular transpiration (CT) have contributed to salinity tolerance in Arper cultivar. The findings highlight the 34 Mm salinity tolerance threshold in maize. The reduction of stomatal aperture, stomatal exchange surface (SE), stomatal conductance (gs) and photosynthesis (Pn) by salinity revealed that closing pores when internal [CO2]i is high is a key function for maize to conserve water under salt stress.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 10 February 2026