Abstract
This study focuses on the inhibitory effect of salinity on the leaf extension of three different grass species: Hordeum jubatum L., Hordeum vulgare L. and Zea mays L. Leaf elongation rates (LER) were measured on the third leaf of the plants. NaCl was added to the hydroponic solution (0, 40, 80 and 120 mM) and changes in LER were measured over time with a displacement transducer. Salinity inhibited LER immediately in all three species, and a new, but lower steady-state LER was reached within 5 h. The decrease in LER was proportional to the salinity level. Differences in salt tolerance (% of control LER) were evident between genotypes within 5 h after salinization, but the relative salt tolerance of the plant at this stage was not necessarily indicative of the long-term salt tolerance of the species. In general, H. jubatum was more tolerant than maize, which was more tolerant than barley to these short-term salinity stresses. In contrast, barley is more salt tolerant than maize over the long term. The mechanisms of inhibition of LER by salinity, as tested by the applied-tension technique, varied with the species examined, affecting either the apparent yield threshold, the hydraulic conductance of the whole plant or both. The cell wall extensibility was not significantly affected by salinity in the three species tested in this study.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boyer J S 1967 Leaf water potentials measured with a pressure chamber. Plant Physiol. 42, 133–137.
Boyer J S 2001 Growth-induced water potentials originate from wall yielding during growth. J. Exp. Bot. 52, 1483–1488.
Boyer J S, Cavalieri A J and Schulze E-D 1985 Control of the rate of cell enlargement: excision, wall relaxation, and growth-induced water potentials. Planta 163, 527–543.
Cosgrove D J 1987 Wall relaxation in growing stems: comparison of four species and assessment of measurement techniques. Planta 171, 266–278.
Cosgrove D J 1997 Assembly and enlargement of the primary cell wall in plants. Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 13, 171–201.
Cramer G R 1992a 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 1992b Kinetics of maize leaf elongation. III. Silver thiosulfate increases the yield threshold of salt-stressed plants. Plant Physiol. 100, 1044–1047.
Cramer G R, Alberico G J and Schmidt C 1994 Leaf expansion limits dry matter accumulation of salt-stressed maize. Aust. J. Plant. Physiol. 21, 663–674.
Cramer G R and Bowman D C 1991 Kinetics of maize leaf elongation. I. Increased yield threshold limits short-term, steady-state elongation rates after exposure to salinity. J. Exp. Bot. 42, 1417–1426.
Cramer G R and Bowman D C 1993 Cell elongation control under stress conditions. In Handbook of Plant and Crop Stress. Ed. M Pessarakli. pp. 303–320. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York.
Cramer G R, Krishnan K and Abrams S R 1998 Kinetics of maize leaf elongation. IV. Effects of (+)-and (—)-abscisic acid. J. Exp. Bot. 49, 191–198.
Cramer G R and Schmidt C 1995 Estimation of growth parameters in salt-stressed maize: comparison of the pressure-block and applied-tension techniques. Plant Cell Environ. 18, 823–826.
Cramer G R, Schmidt C L and Bidart C 2001 Analysis of cell wall hardening and cell wall enzymes of salt-stressed maize (Zea mays) leaves. Aust. J. Plant. Physiol. 28, 101–109.
Frensch J and Hsiao T C 1995 Rapid response of the yield threshold and turgor regulation during adjustment of root growth to water stress in Zea mays. Plant Physiol. 108, 303–312.
Fricke W and Flowers T J 1998 Control of leaf cell elongation in barley: generation rates of osmotic pressure and turgor, and growth-associated water potential gradients. Planta 206, 53–65.
Gandar P W and Hall A J 1988 Estimating position-time relationships in steady-state, one dimensional growth zones. Planta 175, 121–129.
Green P B, Erickson R O and Buggy J 1971 Metabolic and physical control of cell elongation rate. In vivo studies in Nitella. Plant Physiol. 47, 423–430.
Greenway H 1962a Plant response to saline substrates. I. Growth and ion uptake of several varieties of Hordeum during and after sodium chloride treatment. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 15, 16–38.
Greenway H 1962b Plant response to saline substrates. II. Chloride, sodium, and potassium uptake and translocation in young plants of Hordeum vulgare during and after a short sodium chloride treatment. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 15, 39–57.
Greenway H 1963 Plant responses to saline substrates. III. Effect of nutrient concentration on the growth and ion uptake of Hordeum vulgare during sodium chloride stress. Aust J Biol Sci 16, 616–628.
Greenway H 1965 Plant responses to saline substrates. IV. Chloride uptake by Hordeum vulgare as affected by inhibitors, transpiration, and nutrients in the medium. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 18, 249–268.
Greenway H 1973 Salinity, plant growth, and metabolism. J Aust Inst Agric Sci 39, 24–34.
Greenway H and Pitman G 1965 Potassium retranslocation in seedlings of Hordeum vulgare. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 18, 235–247.
Greenway H, Gunn A, Pitman M and Thomas D 1965 Plant response to saline substrates. VI. Chloride, sodium, and potassium uptake and distribution within the plant during ontogenesis of Hordeum vulgare. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 18, 525–540.
Hsiao T C, Frensch J and Rojas-Lara B A 1998 The pressure-jump technique shows maize leaf growth to be enhanced by increases in turgor only when water status is not too high. Plant Cell Environ. 21, 33–42.
Huang J and Redmann R E 1995a Responses of growth, morphology, and anatomy to salinity and calcium supply in cultivated and wild barley. Can. J. Bot. 73, 1859–1866.
Huang J and Redmann R E 1995b Salt tolerance of Hordeum and Brassica species during germination and early seedling growth. Can. J. Plant Sci. 75, 815–819.
Lockhart J A 1965 An analysis of irreversible plant cell elongation. J Theoret Biol 8, 264–275.
Lu Z J and Neumann P M 1998 Water-stressed maize, barley and rice seedlings show species diversity in mechanisms of leaf growth inhibition. J. Exp. Bot. 49, 1945–1952.
Lynch J, Epstein E and Läuchli A 1982 Na+-K+ relationship in salt-stressed barley. In Proceedings of the Ninth International Plant Nutrition Colloquium. Vol. 1. Ed. A Scaife. pp. 347–352. Warwick University, England.
Lynch J, Thiel G and Läuchli A 1988 Effects of salinity on the extensibility and Ca availability in the expanding region of growing barley leaves. Bot Acta 101, 355–361.
Maas E V and Hoffman G J 1977 Crop salt tolerance – current assessment. J. Irrig. Drain. Div. ASCE 103, 115–134.
MacAdam JW, Volenec J J and Nelson C J 1989 Effects of nitrogen on mesophyll cell division and epidermal cell elongation in tall fescue leaf blades. Plant Physiol. 89, 549–556.
Munns R and Passioura J B 1984 Hydraulic resistance of plants. III. Effects of NaCl in barley and Lupin. Aust. J. Plant. Physiol. 11, 351–359.
Munns R, Schachtman D P and Condon A G 1995 The significance of a two-phase growth response to salinity in wheat and barley. Aust. J. Plant. Physiol. 22, 561–569.
Munns R, Guo J, Passioura J B and Cramer G R 2000a Leaf water status controls day-time but not daily rates of leaf expansion in salt-stressed barley. Aust. J. Plant. Physiol. 27, 949–957.
Munns R, Passioura J B, Guo J, Chazen O and Cramer G R 2000b Water relations and leaf expansion: importance of timescale. J. Exp. Bot. 51, 1495–1504.
Neumann PM 1993 Rapid and reversible modifications of extension capacity of cell walls in elongating maize leaf tissues responding to root addition and removal of NaCl. Plant Cell Environ. 16, 1107–1114.
Nonami H and Boyer J S 1990a Primary events regulating stem growth at low water potentials. Plant Physiol. 93, 1601–1609.
Nonami H and Boyer J S 1990b Wall extensibility and cell hydraulic conductivity decrease in enlarging stem tissues at low water potentials. Plant Physiol. 93, 1610–1619.
Nonami H, Wu Y J and Boyer J S 1997 Decreased growth-induced water potential: primary cause of growth inhibition at low water potentials. Plant Physiol. 114, 501–509.
Okamoto H, Liu Q, Nakahori K and Katou K 1989 A pressurejump method as a new tool in growth physiology for monitoring physiological wall extensibility and effective turgor. Plant Cell Physiol. 30, 979–985.
Schnyder H and Nelson C J 1987 Growth rates and carbohydrate fluxes within the elongation zone of tall fescue leaf blades. Plant Physiol. 85, 548–553.
Suhayda C G, Redmann R E, Harvey B L and Cipywnyk A L 1992 Comparative response of cultivated and wild barley species to salinity stress and calcium supply. Crop Sci. 32, 154–163.
Tang A C and Boyer J S 2002 Growth-induced water potentials and the growth of maize leaves. J. Exp. Bot. 53, 489–503.
Tardieu F, Reymond M, Hamard P, Granier C and Muller B 2000 Spatial distributions of expansion rate, cell division rate and cell size in maize leaves: a synthesis of the effects of soil water status, evaporative demand and temperature. J. Exp. Bot. 51, 1505–14.
Thiel G, Lynch J and Läuchli A 1988 Short-term effects of salinity stress on the turgor and elongation of growing barley leaves. J. Plant Physiol. 132, 38–44.
Yeo A R, Lee K S, Izard P, Boursier P J and Flowers T J 1991 Shortand long-term effects of salinity on leaf growth in rice (Oryza sativa L.). J. Exp. Bot. 42, 881–889.
Zocchi G and De Nisi P 1996 Physiological and biochemical mechanisms involved in the response to abscisic acid in maize coleoptiles. Plant Cell Physiol. 37, 840–846.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cramer, G.R. Differential effects of salinity on leaf elongation kinetics of three grass species. Plant and Soil 253, 233–244 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024527401033
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024527401033