Changes in growth, flowering and chemical composition of some Lantana camara Cultivars under Salinity Conditions

Lantana camara L Fam Verbenaceae is considered one of the most important ornamental plants used in landscape in many ways as an evergreen aromatic shrub, hedge plant or even as a pot plant, enhancing landscapes with its aesthetic appeal within numerous cultivar variations of colors and growth habits. In the meantime, Lantana is classified as moderately tolerant to salt, which makes it a good choice for landscaping in coastal areas, although its response can vary depending on the cultivars genetic variation and age of the plant. This research focuses on uncovering the physiological adaptations that allow Lantana cultivars to thrive under high salinity, assessing their impact on growth and flowering to better understand the relationship between salt tolerance and ornamental performance. The results of the study revealed a significant interaction between cultivars and salinity levels. Purple cultivar showed reasonable tolerance to salinity resulted in significant differences in plant height, number of branches as well as fresh and dry weights. Meanwhile, white and yellow cultivars came in second place followed by red cultivars regarding most of the growth characteristics. Following the same pattern purple followed by yellow cultivars was the least affected by salinity regarding number of flowers, suggesting a significant interaction between cultivars and salinity levels. The purple and yellow cultivars maintained the highest chlorophyll content under salinity treatments; the same response was observed regarding plant nutrition status analysis. In general, results indicated a significant correlation between cultivars and salt tolerance.