Rao, Shiwangni and Taylor, M. and Jokhan, Anjeela D. (2014) In vivo screening of salinity tolerance in giant swamp taro (Cyrtosperma merkusii). The South Pacific Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 32 . pp. 33-36. ISSN 1838-837X
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Abstract
Giant Swamp Taro (Cyrtosperma merkusii) is a staple food crop in the Pacific, especially in the low lying atoll islands such as Tuvalu and Kiribati. This is owing to its ability to survive under poor soil conditions and harsh environments. However, as a result of the effects of climate change such as sea water inundation and intrusion into the fresh ground water lens, this crop is now under threat. To address this issue an adaption approach was taken whereby, Cyrtosperma merkusii was screened in vivo for salt tolerance. The epistemology followed random selection of two cultivars Ikaraoi and Katutu. These two cultivars were subjected to 0% (0 parts per trillion), 0.5% (5 ppt), 1% (10 ppt), 1.5% (15 ppt) and 2% (20 ppt) of salt in Yates’s advance seedling common potting mix. Both cultivars were able to tolerate salinity levels up-to 5ppt which is significantly more than the salt tolerance in glycophytes of 2.83 ppt. This research provides an insight into the variation of salt tolerance that may exist in C.merkusii gene pool, which can be used to adapt to natural disasters and buffer its impacts.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Giant swamp taro, Cyrtosperma merkusii, atoll, food security, climate change, salinity tolerance, in vivo |
| Subjects: | Q Science > QK Botany Q Science > QP Physiology S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment (FSTE) > School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment (FSTE) |
| Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email shiwangni.rao@usp.ac.fj |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Aug 2014 03:05 |
| Last Modified: | 22 Sep 2016 04:51 |
| URI: | https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/7571 |
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