Abstract
Effects of seawater salinity (SWS) and pure NaCl on the intracellular contents of Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, chlorophylls (Chl) and carotenoids (Car) were studied in three submerged aquatic macrophytes, Hydrilla verticillata, Najas indica and Najas gramenia, which differed in their tolerance to salinity. NaCl resulted in significant increase in Chl/Car ratio in the salt-sensitive H. verticillata and moderately salt-tolerant N. indica, but not in the salt-tolerant N. gramenia. SWS treatment did not result in any significant change in the ratio. The intracellular content of Na+ increased significantly in all the test plants upon exposure to both NaCl and SWS. The content of K+ decreased significantly in these plants upon salinity treatment, except in N. gramenia. The contents of Ca2+ and Mg2+ decreased significantly upon NaCl treatment and remained unchanged or increased upon SWS treatment. No relationship between salt tolerance and K+/Na+ ratio was observed. The maintenance of a minimal level of K+ was observed to be the most probable requirement of salt tolerance in aquatic macrophytes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alfocea, F.P., Estan, M.T., Caro, M., Bolarín, M.C.: Response of tomato cultivars to salinity.-Plant Soil 150: 203–211, 1993.
Binzel, M., Hasegawa, P., Rhodes, D., Handa, S., Handa, A., Bressan, R.: Solute accumulation in tobacco cells adapted to NaCl.-Plant Physiol. 84: 1408–1415, 1987.
Blis, C.I.: Statistics in Biology. Vol. I.-McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York 1967.
Blits, K.C., Cook, D.A., Gallagher, J.L.: Salt tolerance in cell suspension cultures of the halophyte Kosteletzkya virginica.-J. exp. Bot. 44: 681–686, 1993.
Colmer, T.D., Fan, T.W.-M., Higashi, R.M., Läuchli, A.: Interactive effects of Ca2+ and NaCl salinity on the ionic relations and proline accumulation in the primary root tip of Sorghum bicolor.-Physiol. Plant. 97: 421–424, 1996.
Davenport, R.J., Reid, R.J., Smith, F.A.: Sodium-calcium interactions in two wheat species differing in salinity tolerance.-Physiol. Plant. 99: 323–327, 1997.
Egan, T.P., Ungar, I.A.: Effects of different salts of sodium and potassium on the growth of Atriplex prostrata (Chenopodiaceae).-J. Plant Nutr. 21: 2193–2205, 1998.
Flowers, T.J., Troke, P.F., Yeo, A.R.: The mechanism of salt tolerance in halophytes.-Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 28: 89–121, 1977.
Fortmeir, R., Schubert, S.: Salt tolerance of maize (Zea mays L.): the role of sodium exclusion.-Plant Cell Environ. 18: 1041–1047, 1995.
Glenn, E.P., Olsen, M., Frye, R., Moore, D., Miyamoto, S.: How much sodium accumulation is necessary for salt tolerance in subspecies of the halophyte Atriplex canescens?-Plant Cell Environ. 17: 711–719, 1994.
Gorham, J., Wyn Jones, R.G., McDonnell, E.: Some mechanisms of salt tolerance in crop plants.-Plant Soil 89: 15–40, 1985.
Greenway, R., Munns, R.: Mechanism of salt tolerance in non-halophytes.-Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 31: 149–190, 1980.
Holmberg, N., Bulow, L.: Improving stress tolerance in plants by gene transfer.-Trends Plant Sci. 3: 61–66, 1998.
Hyder, N., Greenway, H.: Effects of Ca on plant sensitivity to high NaCl concentrations.-Plant Soil 23: 258–260, 1965.
Kirst, G.O.: Salinity tolerance of eukaryotic marine algae.-Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant mol. Biol. 40: 21–53, 1989.
Kohl, K.I.: NaCl homoeostasis as a factor for the survival of the evergreen halophyte Armeria maritima (Mill.) Willd. under salt stress in winter.-Plant Cell Environ. 20: 1253–1263, 1997.
Leidi, E.O., Sarz, J. F.: Is salinity tolerance related to Na accumulation in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) seedlings?-Plant Soil 190: 67–75, 1997.
Parsons, T.R., Maita, Y., Lalli, C.M.: A Manual of Chemical and Biological Methods for Seawater Analysis.-Pergamon Press, Oxford 1984.
Patnaik, J. Debata, B.K.: In vitro selection of NaCl tolerant callus lines of Cymbopogan martini (Roxb.) Wats.-Plant Sci. 124: 203–210, 1997.
Reddy, M.P., Iyenger, E.R.R.: Crop responses to salt stress: seawater application and prospects.-In: Pessarakli, M. (ed): Handbook of Plant and Crop Stress. Pp. 1041–1067. Marcel Dekker, New York-Basel 1999.
Rout, N.P., Shaw, B.P.: Salinity tolerance in aquatic macrophytes: probable role of proline, the enzymes involved in its synthesis and C4 type of metabolism.-Plant Sci. 136: 121–130, 1998.
Storey, R., Wyn Jones, R.G.: Response of Atriplex spongiosa and Suaeda monoica to salinity.-Plant Physiol. 63: 156–162, 1979.
Wellburn, A.R.: The spectral determination of chlorophylls a and b, as well as total carotenoids using various solvents with spectrophotometers of different resolution.-J. Plant Physiol. 144: 307–313, 1994.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rout, N., Shaw, B. Salt Tolerance in Aquatic Macrophytes: Ionic Relation and Interaction. Biologia Plantarum 44, 95–99 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017978506585
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017978506585