Grafting the wine grape variety Cabernet Sauvignon onto salinity-tolerant rootstocks can improve salinity tolerance and grape yields in regions with high salinity soils. In this experiment, the effects of different rootstocks and rootstock combinations on the saline-alkaline stress (modified Hoagland nutrient solution + 50 mmol L-1 (NaCl + NaHCO3)) of Cabernet Sauvignon were studied. Correlation and principal component analyses were conducted on several physiological indicators of saline-alkaline stress. Salinity limited biomass accumulation, induced damage to the plant membrane, reduced the chlorophyll content and photosynthetic capacity of plants, and increased the content of malondialdehyde, sodium (Na+)/potassium (K+) ratio, and antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase). Significant differences in several indicators were observed among the experimental groups. The results indicate that the saline-alkaline tolerance of Cabernet Sauvignon after grafting was the same as that of the rootstock, indicating that the increased resistance of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to saline-alkaline stress stems from the transferability of the saline-alkaline stress resistance of the rootstock to the scion.
Keywords: grafting; grapes; photosynthetic fluorescence; rootstocks; saline–alkaline stress.