Screening of Psidium Species and Interspecific Hybrid Progenies for Salinity Stress Tolerance

Guava can withstand only a moderate level of salinity, and its yield is affected significantly under higher level of salinity. Hence, the present study aimed to identify the salinity tolerant sources of wild Psidium species and introgression these traits into commercial cultivars via interspecific hybridization. Five wild Psidium species (P. molle, P. guineense, P. chinensis, P. cattleianum var. cattleianum, and P. cattleianum var. lucidum) along with P. guajava genotypes and interspecific hybrid progenies were screened by irrigation with saline water. A total of 30 plants of each Psidium species, genotypes, and interspecific hybrids were treated at four-day intervals with 0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl salt using 200 ± 20 ml water. The results revealed that P. cattleianum var. cattleianum and P. cattleianum var. lucidum were found to be tolerant to high level of salinity stress (200 mM NaCl) which were used for developing interspecific hybrid population. Among the interspecific hybrid progenies evaluated, 39 progenies of the combinations (‘Arka Poorna’ (P. guajava) × P. cattleianum var. cattleianum, ‘H 12-5’ (P. guajava) × P. cattleianum var. cattleianum, ‘Arka Poorna’ × P. cattleianum var. lucidum, and ‘H 12-5’ × P. cattleianum var. lucidum) exhibited salinity tolerance. The salinity tolerance trait obtained in the progenies could have been inherited from the tolerant male parents, viz., P. cattleianum var. lucidum and P. cattleianum var. cattleianum.