Physiological Responses of Two Olive Cultivars to Salt Stress

The olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is the main fruit tree in most of the arid and semi-arid regions of Tunisia, which is where the problem of salinity is more pronounced. Salinity is one of the main factors that affects the productivity of olive trees, so the objective of this experiment was to study the effects of salinity on the photosynthesis, water relations, mineral status, and enzymatic activity of two cultivars of Olea europaea L., 'Chemlali' and 'Koroneiki'. The trial was conducted under controlled conditions in a greenhouse for a period of 49 days and included two treatments: T0 control and T100 (irrigation with 100 mM of NaCl solution). Under salinity stress, the photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and leaves of both cultivars were negatively affected. 'Chemlali' showed greater tolerance to NaCl salinity, based on a progressive decrease in osmotic potential (Ψπ) followed by a progressive and synchronous decrease in gs, without a comparable decrease in photosynthesis. The water use efficiency (WUE) improved as a result. In addition, the K⁺/Na⁺ ratio in 'Chemlali' rose. This appears to be crucial for managing stress. Conversely, enzymatic activity showed an accumulation of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in stressed plants. The catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) content decreased in both stressed varieties. It can be concluded that the cultivar 'Koroneiki' is more susceptible to salt stress than the cultivar 'Chemlali', because the accumulation of GPX and the decreases in CAT and APX were more pronounced in this cultivar.