Contrasting effects of water salinity and ozone concentration on two cultivars of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) in Mediterranean conditions

This paper reports the results of an Open-Top Chambers experiment on the responses of two durum\r\nwheat cultivars (Neodur and Virgilio) exposed to two different levels of ozone (charcoal-filtered air and\r\nozone-enriched air) and irrigation water salinity (tap water as control and a 75 mM NaCl solution once a\r\nweek).\r\nThe stomatal conductance of the flag leaves was measured on four dates during May. Flag leaf samples\r\nwere collected to detect ozone visible leaf injuries. At the end of the growing season, the yield/biomass\r\nand grain quality parameters were assessed. Saline irrigation caused significant reductions in gs, yield\r\nand grain quality in Neodur, while Virgilio was more tolerant. The yield response to ozone was almost\r\nnegligible, with Virgilio, despite the higher susceptibility to visible leaf injuries, being more productive\r\nthan Neodur.\r\nThe responses to the combined stress were not consistent, with the main tendencies undoubtedly\r\ndriven by the saline irrigation factor.