Study of the Relative Tolerance of Quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) Rootstocks to Different Bicarbonate Concentrations

To study the relative toloranc of quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) rootstocks to Fe chlorosis induced by different bicarbonate concentrations of irrigation water, this study was conducted using four quince rootstocks (Q.A, Q.B, Q.C and PQBA29) in a factorial arrangement with five replications. All of rootstocks were irrigated with water containing different bicarbonate concentrations (0.0, 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0 mmol per liter). During growing season, some important traits such as general characteristics, trunk diameter, plant height, chlorophyll content as well as annual shoot growth of trees were measured and recorded. Result showed that bicarbonate in irrigation water had a significant effect on all measured plant traits in all quince rootstocks. Nevertheless, among four quince rootstocks, Q.A and PQBA29 had the highest tolerance to ammonia bicarbonate in irrigation water. Results implied that these rootstocks may tolerate higher bicarbonate concentrations as well as produce reasonable yield in such conditions. It is concluded that these two quince rootstocks can be introduced as suitable rootstocks under these conditions as well as to be used in breeding programs.