Investigating the Effect of Different Drought Levels on the Concentration of Low-Consumption and High-Consumption Mineral Elements of Pistachio Rootstocks and Interstitial Hybrids of Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.)

Drought stress is one of the most important factors limiting pistachio growth and yield in Iran. In this study, in order to investigate the effect of drought stress on the concentration of low-consumption and high-consumption mineral elements of rootstocks and hybrids between species of the genus pistachios, the experiment was conducted as factorial based on a Completely Randomized Design with four replications in the research greenhouse of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources during 2019-2020. The treatments were consisted of ten pistachio rootstocks Ahmad Aghaei, Akbari, Sorkheh Hosseini, Garmeh, Fandoghi and interspecific hybrids (Ahmad Aghaei × Integerrima, Akbari × Integerrima, Sorkheh Hosseini × Integerrima, Garmeh × Integerrima and Fandoghi × Integerrima) and three levels of drought including control (field capacity), mild stress (65% of field capacity) and Severe stress (30% of field capacity) were applied on 3 months old the seedlings for 84 days. At the end of the experiment, the amount of nutrients in the leaves and roots of the plants were examined. The results showed that drought stress had significant effects on the mineral status of the leaves and roots of the studied rootstocks. According to the results, different physiological responses were observed between the seedlings in their response to water stress. With increasing stress levels, fandoghi rootstock the lowest and the hybrid rootstocks of Sorkheh Hosseini × Integerrima, Ahmad Aghaei × Integerrima and Akbari × Integerrima showed the greatest increase in the absorption of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu between the rootstocks. The rootstocks of Ahmad Aghaei, Sorkheh Hosseini, Garmeh × Integerrima, Akbari, Garmeh and Fandoghi × Integerrima were ranked next in most traits in terms of drought tolerance, respectively. Based on the results of the present study it seems possible from the rootstocks of Sorkhe Hosseini × Integerrima, Ahmad Aghaei × Integerrima and Akbari × Integerrima was used as a rootstocks for dry-tolerant genes to modify cultivars with high yield potential in arid regions.