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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Riverside, California » Agricultural Water Efficiency and Salinity Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #422139
Research Project: Understanding and Improving Salinity Tolerance in Specialty Crops

Location: Agricultural Water Efficiency and Salinity Research Unit

Title: Evaluating new breeding material for salinity tolerance in almond rootstocks and exploring novel sources of salinity tolerance in Prunus germplasm

Author
item Sandhu, Devinder
item Ferreira, Jorge
item GRADZIEL, THOMAS - University Of California, Davis

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/11/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The primary objective of this project is to evaluate new almond rootstocks and variety selections for salinity tolerance. Dr. Tom Gradziel's breeding program at UC Davis has been instrumental in developing and assessing multiple lines for traits such as growth performance and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Our evaluation focused on the salinity tolerance of eight promising rootstocks, 15 variety selections, and four established varieties. Based on trunk diameter measurements, two variety selections, UCD-B9 and USDA-Y117, had strong performance under saline conditions. Among the rootstocks, UCD-516 emerged as the top performer, accumulating relatively lower levels of sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) in its leaves. Interestingly, some varieties that accumulated higher concentrations of Na and Cl in their leaves also performed well, suggesting superior tissue tolerance mechanisms. In the 2024-25 season, we are conducting two complementary experiments: the first investigates the interactions between drought and salinity, while the second examines the salinity tolerance of Nonpareil almond grafted onto two UC Davis rootstocks identified as promising candidates in previous trials.