Effects of Salinity on the Growth and Nutrition of Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>): Implications for Food Security

Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i> (L.) Schott) is a staple food crop in the Asia-Pacific region in areas where rising sea levels are threatening agricultural production. However, little is known about its response to salinity. In this study, we investigated the effects of salinity on the...

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Autores principales:	Georgia R. Lloyd, Akane Uesugi, Roslyn M. Gleadow
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	calcium oxalate sea level secondary metabolites plant defence tuberous crops Pacific Islands Botany QK1-989
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/0090305913a948728a1ad77c659a82c6
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:0090305913a948728a1ad77c659a82c62021-11-25T18:45:18ZEffects of Salinity on the Growth and Nutrition of Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>): Implications for Food Security10.3390/plants101123192223-7747https://doaj.org/article/0090305913a948728a1ad77c659a82c62021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/11/2319https://doaj.org/toc/2223-7747Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i> (L.) Schott) is a staple food crop in the Asia-Pacific region in areas where rising sea levels are threatening agricultural production. However, little is known about its response to salinity. In this study, we investigated the effects of salinity on the growth, morphology, physiology, and chemical traits of taro to predict the impacts of rising sea levels on taro production and nutritional value in the Pacific. We grew taro (approximately 4 months old) with a range of NaCl treatments (0–200 mM) for 12 weeks. Full nutrient, micronutrient, and secondary metabolite analyses were conducted, including measures of calcium oxalate (CaOx), an irritant that reduces palatability. Significant reductions in growth and biomass were observed at and above 100 mM NaCl. Concentrations of macro- and micronutrients, including sodium, were higher on a per mass basis in corms of plants experiencing salt stress. Foliar sodium concentrations remained stable, indicating that taro may utilize a salt exclusion mechanism. There was a large amount of individual variation in the concentrations of oxalate and phenolics, but overall, the concentrations were similar in the plants grown with different levels of salt. The total contents of CaOx and phenolics decreased in plants experiencing salt stress. Taro’s ability to survive and produce corms when watered with a 200 mM NaCl solution places it among the salt-tolerant non-halophytes. The nutritional quality of the crop is only marginally affected by salt stress. Taro is, therefore, likely to remain a useful staple in the Pacific region in the future.Georgia R. LloydAkane UesugiRoslyn M. GleadowMDPI AGarticlecalcium oxalatesea levelsecondary metabolitesplant defencetuberous cropsPacific IslandsBotanyQK1-989ENPlants, Vol 10, Iss 2319, p 2319 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	calcium oxalate sea level secondary metabolites plant defence tuberous crops Pacific Islands Botany QK1-989
spellingShingle	calcium oxalate sea level secondary metabolites plant defence tuberous crops Pacific Islands Botany QK1-989 Georgia R. Lloyd Akane Uesugi Roslyn M. Gleadow Effects of Salinity on the Growth and Nutrition of Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>): Implications for Food Security
description	Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i> (L.) Schott) is a staple food crop in the Asia-Pacific region in areas where rising sea levels are threatening agricultural production. However, little is known about its response to salinity. In this study, we investigated the effects of salinity on the growth, morphology, physiology, and chemical traits of taro to predict the impacts of rising sea levels on taro production and nutritional value in the Pacific. We grew taro (approximately 4 months old) with a range of NaCl treatments (0–200 mM) for 12 weeks. Full nutrient, micronutrient, and secondary metabolite analyses were conducted, including measures of calcium oxalate (CaOx), an irritant that reduces palatability. Significant reductions in growth and biomass were observed at and above 100 mM NaCl. Concentrations of macro- and micronutrients, including sodium, were higher on a per mass basis in corms of plants experiencing salt stress. Foliar sodium concentrations remained stable, indicating that taro may utilize a salt exclusion mechanism. There was a large amount of individual variation in the concentrations of oxalate and phenolics, but overall, the concentrations were similar in the plants grown with different levels of salt. The total contents of CaOx and phenolics decreased in plants experiencing salt stress. Taro’s ability to survive and produce corms when watered with a 200 mM NaCl solution places it among the salt-tolerant non-halophytes. The nutritional quality of the crop is only marginally affected by salt stress. Taro is, therefore, likely to remain a useful staple in the Pacific region in the future.
format	article
author	Georgia R. Lloyd Akane Uesugi Roslyn M. Gleadow
author_facet	Georgia R. Lloyd Akane Uesugi Roslyn M. Gleadow
author_sort	Georgia R. Lloyd
title	Effects of Salinity on the Growth and Nutrition of Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>): Implications for Food Security
title_short	Effects of Salinity on the Growth and Nutrition of Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>): Implications for Food Security
title_full	Effects of Salinity on the Growth and Nutrition of Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>): Implications for Food Security
title_fullStr	Effects of Salinity on the Growth and Nutrition of Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>): Implications for Food Security
title_full_unstemmed	Effects of Salinity on the Growth and Nutrition of Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>): Implications for Food Security
title_sort	effects of salinity on the growth and nutrition of taro (<i>colocasia esculenta</i>): implications for food security
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/0090305913a948728a1ad77c659a82c6
work_keys_str_mv	AT georgiarlloyd effectsofsalinityonthegrowthandnutritionoftaroicolocasiaesculentaiimplicationsforfoodsecurity AT akaneuesugi effectsofsalinityonthegrowthandnutritionoftaroicolocasiaesculentaiimplicationsforfoodsecurity AT roslynmgleadow effectsofsalinityonthegrowthandnutritionoftaroicolocasiaesculentaiimplicationsforfoodsecurity
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Effects of Salinity on the Growth and Nutrition of Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>): Implications for Food Security

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