Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(11):793-804 | DOI: 10.17221/346/2025-PSE

Improvement of salt stress tolerance in sugar beet: role of gamma irradiation and cultivar-specific responsesOriginal Paper

Maisam Naji1, Marjan Diyanat1, Davood Habibi2, Mehdi Sadeghi Shoa3, Weria Wisany1
1 Department of Agricultural Science and Engineering, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Agriculture and Plant Breeding, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
3 Research Institute for Breeding and Preparation of Sugar Beet Seeds, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organisation, Karaj, Iran

This study investigates the effects of salt stress and gamma irradiation on growth, biochemical, and physiological responses in three sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) cultivars. Control plants were irrigated with fresh water (EC = 1.1 dS/m), whereas salt stress was imposed with an irrigation of 9 dS/m. Seeds were irradiated with gamma rays (0, 50, 100, 200, 400 Gy) before sowing. Exposure to salt stress reduced root yield (RY), sugar yield (SY), chlorophyll content, and antioxidant enzyme activities (catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)). In contrast, oxidative damage increased, as indicated by elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations. Interestingly, salt stress enhanced sugar content, with the Eudoro cultivar showing the greatest resilience, maintaining higher RY and SY and lower MDA compared to the other cultivars. Gamma irradiation at moderate doses (50–200 Gy) alleviated the effects of salt stress, with the strongest improvements in SY observed at 100 and 200 Gy. These treatments enhanced RY, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant activities, while also improving photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) and cellular integrity. Higher doses (> 200 Gy) reduced sugar content, indicating dose-specific effects. Eudoro exhibited superior salt tolerance, maintaining higher root and sugar yields (RY, SY) and reduced oxidative damage (lower MDA) under salt stress. These findings demonstrate that gamma irradiation at optimal doses enhances salt tolerance in sugar beet, offering cultivar-specific benefits for breeding programmes in saline environments.

Keywords: salinity; reactive oxygen species; stimulation; Rubisco; oxidative stress

Received: August 8, 2025; Revised: October 14, 2025; Accepted: October 14, 2025; Prepublished online: November 23, 2025; Published: November 28, 2025  Show citation

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Naji M, Diyanat M, Habibi D, Shoa MS, Wisany W. Improvement of salt stress tolerance in sugar beet: role of gamma irradiation and cultivar-specific responses. Plant Soil Environ. 2025;71(11):793-804. doi: 10.17221/346/2025-PSE.
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