Abstract
Elevated levels of boron occurring naturally in soil or irrigation waters are detrimental to many crops grown in agricultural regions of the world. If such levels of boron are accompanied by conditions of excessive salinity, as occurs in the Lluta valley in Northern Chile, the consequences can be drastic for crops. A variety of sweet corn from this valley (Zea mays L. amylacea) has arisen as a consequence of practiced seed selection, suggesting that it is extremely tolerant to high salt and boron levels. In the present study, seeds ofZea mays L. amylacea were collected in order to study their physiological mechanisms of tolerance to high levels of NaCl and boron. Concentrations of 100 and 430 mM NaCl and 20 and 40 mg kg−1 boron were imposed as treatments. The plants did not exhibit symptoms of toxicity to either NaCl and boron during the 20 days of treatment. Na+ accumulation was substantial in roots, while boron was translocated to leaves. Boron alleviated the negative effect of salinity on tissue K+ and maintained membrane integrity. The higher values of water potential seem to be related to the capacity of this ecotype to maintain a better relative water content in leaves. Despite the fact that boron enhanced slightly the effect of salinity on CO2 assimilation, no effect on photochemical parameters was observed in this ecotype. Osmotic adjustment allows this ecotype to survive in high saline soils; however the presence of boron makes this strategy unnecessary since boron contributed to the maintenance of cell wall elasticity.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- A :
-
net CO2 assimilation rate
- Ci :
-
intercellular CO2 concentration
- EC (%):
-
percentage of electrolyte leakage
- ε:
-
modulus of elasticity at full hydration
- Fv/Fm:
-
maximum quantum yield of PSII
- Ψp :
-
turgor potential
- Ψs :
-
osmotic potential
- Ψ 100s :
-
osmotic potential at full turgor
- Ψ 100s - Ψ 100cs :
-
degree of osmotic adjustment
- Ψw :
-
leaf water potential
- g s :
-
stomatal conductance
- qP,qN:
-
coefficients of photochemical and non-photochemical quenching, respectively
- ΦPSII:
-
quantum fluorescence yield
- RWC:
-
relative water content
References
Abd-El Baki G K, Siefritz F, Man H M, Weiner H, Kaldenhoff R and Kaiser W M 2000 Nitrate reductase inZea mays L. under salinity. Plant Cell Environ. 23, 515–521.
Alpaslan M and Gunes A 2001 Interactive effects of boron and salinity stress on the growth, membrane permeability and mineral composition of tomato and cucumber plants. Plant Soil 236, 123–128.
Bañuelos G S, Ajwa H A, Caceres L and Dyer D 1999 Germination responses and boron accumulation in germplasm from Chile and United States grown with boron-enriched water. Ecotox. Environ. Safe. 43, 62–67.
Ben-Gal A and Shani U 2002 Yield, transpiration and growth of tomatoes under combined excess boron and salinity stress. Plant Soil 247, 211–221.
Bonilla I, Mergold-Villaseñor C C, Campos M E, Sánchez N, Pérez H, López L, Catrejón L and Cassab G 1997 The aberrant cell walls of boron-deficient bean root nodules have no covalently bound hydroxyproline/proline rich proteins. Plant Physiol. 115, 1329–1340.
Botella M A, Martinez V, Pardines J and Cerda A 1997 Salinity induced potassium deficiency in maize plants. J. Plant Physiol. 150, 200–205.
Brown P H, Bellaloui N, Wimmer M A, Bassil E S, Ruiz J, Hu H, Pfeffer H, Dannel F and Römheld V 2002 Boron in plant biology. Plant Biol. 4, 211–229.
Brugnoli E and Björkman O 1992 Growth of cotton under continuous salinity: influence on allocation pattern, stomatal and light energy. Planta 187, 335–347.
Cachorro P, Ortiz A and Cerdá A 1994 Implications of calcium nutrition on the response ofPhaseolus vulgaris L. to salinity. Plant Soil 159, 205–212.
Cakmak I, Kurz H, and Marschner H 1995 Short-term effects of boron, germanium and high light intensity on membrane permeability in boron deficient leaves of sunflower. Physiol. Plantarum 95, 11–18.
Carvajal M, Cerda A and Martinez V 2000 Modification of the response of saline stressed tomato plants by the correction of cation disorders. Plant Growth Reg. 30, 37–47.
Chow W S, Ball M C and Anderson J M 1990 Growth and photosynthetic response of spinach to salinity: implications of K+ nutrition for salt tolerance. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 17, 563–578.
Cramer G R 1992 Kinetics of maize leaf elongation. II. Response of a Na-excluding cultivar and a Na-including cultivar to varying Na/Ca salinities. J. Exp. Bot. 43, 857–864.
Cramer G R, Alberico G J and Schmidt C 1994 Salt tolerance is not associated with the sodium accumulation of two maize hybrids. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 21, 675–692.
Cuartero J, Yeo A R and Flowers T J 1992 Selection of donors for salt-tolerance in tomato using physiological traits. New Phytol. 121, 63–69.
Dannel F, Pfeffer H and Römheld V 2002 Update on boron in higher plants - uptake, primary translocation and compartmentation. Plant Biol. 4, 199–210.
Dordas C and Brown P H 2001 Evidence for channel mediated transport of boric acid in squash (Cucurbita pepo). Plant Soil 235, 95–103.
El-Motaium R, Hu H and Brown P 1994 The relative tolerance of six Prunus rootstocks to boron and salinity. J. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. 119, 1169–1175.
Everard J D, Gucci R, Kann S C, Flore J A and Loescher W H 1994 Gas exchange and carbon partitioning in the leaves of celery (Apium graveolens) at various levels of root zone salinity. Plant Physiol. 106, 281–292.
Ferreyra R E, Aljaro A U, Ruiz RSch, Rojas L and Oster J D 1997 Behavior of 42 crop species grown in saline soils with high boron concentrations. Agr. Water Manage. 34, 111–124.
Fortmeier R and Schubert S 1995 Salt tolerance of maize (Zea mays L.): the role of sodium exclusion. Plant Cell Environ. 18, 1041–1047.
Genty B, Briantais J M and Baker N R 1989 The relationship between the quantum yield of photosynthetic electron transport and photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 990, 87–92.
González-Moro B, Lacuesta M, Becerril J M, González-Murua C and Muñoz-Rueda A 1997 Glycolate accumulation causes a decrease of photosynthesis by inhibiting RUBISCO activity in maize. J. Plant Physiol. 150, 388–394.
Glenn E P, Brown J J and Bluwald E 1999 Salt tolerance and crop potential of halophyte. Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 18, 227–255.
Greenway H and Munns R 1980 Mechanisms of salt tolerance in nonhalophytes. Annu. Rev. Plant. Physiol. 32, 149–190.
Hasegawa P M, Bressan R A, Zhu J K and Bohnert H J 2000 Plant cellular and molecular responses to high salinity. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 51, 463–499.
Inal A and Tarakcioglu C 2001 Effects of nitrogen forms on the growth, nitrate accumulation, membrane permeability, and nitrogen use efficiency of hydroponically grown onion (Allium cepa L. var. Radar) under boron deficiency and toxicity. J. Plant Nutr. 24, 1521–1534.
Izzo R, Navari-Izzo F and Quartacci M F 1991 Growth and mineral absorption in maize seedlings as affected by increasing NaCl concentrations. J. Plant Nutr. 14, 687–699.
James R A, Rivelli A R, Munns R and Von Caemmerer S 2002 Factors affecting CO2 assimilation, leaf injury and growth in salt-stressed durum wheat. Funct. Plant Biol. 29, 1393–1403.
Katsuhara M, Akiyama Y, Koshio K, Shibasaka M and Kasamo K 2002 Functional analysis of water channels in barley roots. Plant Cell Physiol. 43, 885–893.
Krause G H and Weis E 1991 Chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthesis: The basic. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 42, 313–349.
Läuchli A 2002 Functions of boron in higher plants: recent advances and open questions. Plant Biol. 4, 190–192.
Marschner H 1995 Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants. Academic Press Limited, London, U K. 889 pp.
Mikkelsen R L, Haghnia G H, Page A I and Bingham E T 1988 The influence of selenium, salinity, and boron on alfalfa tissue composition and yield. J. Environ. Qual. 17, 85–88.
Mühling K H and Läuchli A 2002 Determination of apoplastic Na+ in intact leaves of cotton byin vivo fluorescence ratio-imaging. Funct. Plant Biol. 29, 1491–1499.
Munns R and Rawson H M 1999 Effects of salinity on salt accumulation and reproductive development in the apical meristem of wheat and barley. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 26, 459–464.
Munns R 2002 Comparative physiology of salt and water stress. Plant Cell Environ. 25, 239–250.
McKay H M 1992 Electrolyte leakage from fine roots of conifer seedling: A rapid index of plant vitality following cold storage. Can. J. Forest Res. 22, 1371–1377.
Nable R O 1988 Resistance to boron toxicity amongst several barley and wheat cultivars: A preliminary examination of the resistance mechanism. Plant Soil 112, 45–57.
Nable R O, Lance R C M and Cartwright B 1990 Uptake of boron and silicon by barley genotypes with differing susceptibilities to boron toxicity. Ann. Bot. 66, 83–90.
Neumann P M, Azaizeh H and Leon D 1994 Hardening of root cell walls: a growth inhibitory response to salinity stress. Plant Cell Environ. 17, 303–309.
Novoa R S, Villaseca P, Del Canto P, Ravanet J L, Sierra C and Del Pozo A 1989 Mapa agroclimático de Chile. INIA, Santiago de Chile, 221 p.
Peréz-Alfocea F, Balibrea M E, Santa Cruz A and Estaña M T 1996 Agronomical and physiological characterization of salinity tolerance in a commercial tomato hybrid. Plant Soil 180, 251–257.
Rivelli A R, James R A, Munns R and Condon A G 2002 Effect of salinity on water relations and growth of wheat genotypes with contrasting sodium uptake. Funct. Plant Biol. 29, 1065–1074.
Romero-Aranda R, Soria T and Cuartero J 2001 Tomato plant-water uptake and plant-water relationships under saline growth conditions. Plant Sci. 160, 265–272.
Ruiz J M, Baghour G, Bretones A, Belakbir A and Romero L 1998 Nitrogen metabolism in tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L.): role of boron as a possible regulatory factor. Int. J. Plant Sci. 159, 121–126.
Sanchez-Blanco M J, Morales M A, Torrecillas A and Alarcon J J 1998 Diurnal and seasonal osmotic potential changes inLotus creaticus creaticus plants grown under saline stress. Plant Sci. 136, 1–10.
Santa-Cruz A, Martínez-Rodriguez M M and Peréz-Alfocea F 2002 The rootstock effect on the tomato salinity response depends on the shoot genotype. Plant Sci. 162, 825–831.
Schreiber U, Schilwa U and Bilger W 1986 Continuous recording of photochemical and non-photochemical chlorophyll fluorescence with a new type of modulation fluorometer. Photosynth. Res. 10, 51–62.
Scholander P F, Hammel H T, Bradstreed E D and Hemmingsen E A 1965 Sap pressure in vascular plants. Science 148, 339–346.
Shabala S N, Shabala S I, Martynenko A I, Babourina O and Newman A 1998 Salinity effect on bioelectric activity, growth, Na+ accumulation and chlorophyll fluorescence of maize leaves: a comparative survey and prospects for screening. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 25, 609–616.
Shani U and Hanks R J 1993 Model of integrated effects of boron, inert salt, and water flow on crop yield. Agron. J. 85, 713–717.
Song J Q and Fujiyama H 1996 Difference in response of rice and tomato subjected to sodium salinization to the addition of calcium. Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 42, 503–510.
Suárez N, Sobrado M A and Medina E 1998 Salinity effects on the leaf water relations components and ion accumulation patterns inAvicennia germinans L. seedling. Oecologia 114, 299–304.
Suga S, Komatsu S and Maeshima M 2002 Aquaporin isoforms responsive to salt and water stresses and phytohormones in radish seedlings. Plant Cell Physiol. 43, 1229–1237.
Sternberg P D, Ulery A L and Villa-C M 2001 Salinity and boron effects on growth and yield of terapy and kidney beans. HortSci. 7, 1269–1272.
Wimmer M A, Mühling K H, Läuchli A, Brown P H and Goldbach H 2002 Boron toxicity: the importance of soluble boron.In Boron Nutrition in Plant and Animal Nutrition. Ed. H E Goldbach. Kluwer Plenum Academic Publishers. Dordrecht, The Netherlands. 426 p.
Yeo A R, Caporn S J M and Flowers T J 1985 The effect of salinity upon photosynthesis in rice (Oryza sativa L.): Gas exchange by individual leaves in relation to their salt content. J. Exp. Bot. 36, 1240–1248.
Yeo A R, Yeo M E, Flowers S A and Flowers T J 1988 Screening of rice (Oryza sativa L) genotypes for physiological characters contributing to salinity resistance, and their relationship to overall performance. Theor. Appl. Genet. 79, 377–384.
Zhong H and Läuchli A 1993 Changes of the cell wall composition and polymer in primary roots of cotton seedlings under salt stress. J. Exp. Bot. 44, 773–778.
Zhu J K 2001 Plant salt tolerance: regulatory pathways, genetic improvement and model systems. Trends Plant Sci. 6, 66–71.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bastías, E.I., González-Moro, M.B. & González-Murua, C. Zea mays L. amylacea from the Lluta Valley (Arica-Chile) tolerates salinity stress when high levels of boron are available. Plant Soil 267, 73–84 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-4292-y
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-4292-y