Effects of NaHCO3 on photosynthetic characteristics,and iron and sodium transfer in pomegranate

In order to study effects of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) stress in irrigation water on photosynthetic characteristics and iron (Fe) and sodium (Na⁺) translocation content of pomegranate plants, a factorial experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with three cultivars of pomegranate (“Gorch-e-Dadashi,” “Zagh-e-Yazdi,” and “Ghermez-e-Aliaghai”) and four concentrations of NaHCO₃ (0, 5, 10, and 15 mM), with three replications. The results of plant analysis indicated that NaHCO₃ affected chlorophyll index, F_v/F_m, and performance index (PI) in upper and lower leaves of shoots and also the translocation of Na⁺ and Fe. The results also showed that Fe translocation from root to shoot reduced at 15 mM level of NaHCO₃. The highest Na translocation and the lowest Fe translocation were observed in Zagh-e-Yazdi and Ghermez-e-Aliaghai cultivars, respectively. The ratio of sodium/potassium (Na⁺/K⁺) in stems was higher than that in roots and leaves, and the observed chlorophyll content of upper leaves was also lower than that of lower leaves. Based on the measured parameters Gorch-e-Dadashi cultivar showed less relative sensitivity than other cultivars to NaHCO₃ of irrigation water through maintaining the lower Na⁺ transport to the shoots, and improvement of Fe transport to shoots.