Testing the suitability for coastal green areas of three ornamental shrub species through physiological responses to the saline nebulization

Besides abiotic constraints, plants along the coastal urban areas must face additional cues such as saline aerosol, which impact net plant CO2 assimilation (Pn), reducing biomass and influencing their aesthetic features. In this study, three species (Photinia × fraseri, P; Escallonia rubra, E; and Feijoa sellowiana, F) were subjected to saline nebulization (SN) with a 100 mM NaCl solution. Analyses were performed at 0, 10, and 20 days by monitoring the ion accumulation in plant organs, leaf osmotic potentials, gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence pa- rameters, and chlorophyll contents. Overall, E-SN plants absorbed more Na+ and Cl− in leaves than P-SN and F- SN ones. This phenomenon was influenced by leaf ‘wettability’ features such as the contact angle of water droplets, droplet retention, and water storage capacity, and the effectiveness of translocating these ions on twig tissues. SN increased the leaf osmotic potential (regardless of species). At 10 days (i.e., moderate stress condi- tions), Pn declined in all SN species, but more severely (− 82 %) in E-SN plants. The observed Pn reductions were due to different limiting factors according to the plant species: Pn was reduced by non-stomatal limitations in P- SN plants, stomatal closure in F-SN, and a combination of both in E-SN individuals. At 20 days (i.e., severe stress conditions), in all SN-plants, lower values in all the physiological parameters than controls were observed, indicating a low tolerance to prolonged SN. The work shows that non-destructive physiological measurements provide a reliable assessment of plant tolerance to SN, which can help growers to select ornamental species suitable for coastal green areas.