Abstract
This paper reviews a range of studies under controlled conditions (glasshouse and growth cabinet) focusing on the effects of the interaction between waterlogging (hypoxia) and salinity on the ion relations, growth and survival of higher plants. The literature shows that in general, waterlogging under saline conditions causes increased Na+ and Cl− concentrations in the shoot, due initially to increased rates of transport. These increased concentrations in the shoots have adverse effects on plant growth and survival. It is argued that the interaction between waterlogging and salinity has major implications for saltland management, and for the selection and breeding of plants adapted to saltland.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahmad R and San Pietro A S 1985 Prospects for Biosaline Research, University of Karachi, Pakistan. 587 pp.
Akhtar J, Gorham J and Qureshi R H 1994 Combined effect of salinity and hypoxia in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and wheat-Thinopyrum amphiploids. Plant Soil 166, 47–54.
Allen J A, Pezeshki S R and Chambers J L 1996 Interaction of flooding and salinity stress on baldcypress (Taxodium distichum). Tree Physiol. 16, 307–313.
Amtmann A and Sanders D 1999 Mechanisms of Na+ uptake by plant cells. Adv. Bot. Res. 29, 75–112.
Armstrong W 1971 Radial oxygen losses from intact rice roots as affected by distance from the apex, respiration and waterlogging. Physiol. Plant. 25, 192–197.
Armstrong W 1979 Aeration in higher plants. Adv. Bot. Res. 7, 225–332.
Armstrong W, Wright E J, Lythe S and Gaynard T J 1985 Plant zonation and the effects of the spring-neap tidal cycle on soil aeration in a Humber salt marsh. J. Ecol. 73, 323–339.
Aronson J A 1989 HALOPH: a data base of salt tolerant plants of the world. Office of Arid Lands Studies, University of Arizona. Tucson, Arizona, 77 p.
Aslam Z, Jeschke WD, Barrett-Lennard E G, Greenway H, Setter T L and Watkin E 1986 Effects of external NaCl on the growth of Atriplex amnicola and the ion relations and carbohydrate status of the leaves. Plant Cell Environ. 9, 571–580.
Ball M C 1988 Salinity tolerance in the mangroves Aegiceras corniculatum and Avicennia marina I. Water use in relation to growth, carbon partitioning, and salt balance. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 15, 447–464.
Ball M C 1998 Mangrove species richness in relation to salinity and waterlogging: a case study along the Adelaide River floodplain, northern Australia. Global Ecol. Biogeogr. Lett. 7, 73–82.
Ball M C and Farquhar G D 1984 Photosynthetic and stomatal responses of two mangrove species, Aegiceras corniculatum and Avicennia marina, to long term salinity and humidity conditions. Plant Physiol. 74, 1–6.
Barrett-Lennard E G 1986a Effects of waterlogging on the growth and NaCl uptake by vascular plants under saline conditions. Reclam. Reveg. Res. 5, 245–261.
Barrett-Lennard E G 1986b Wheat growth on saline waterlogged soils. J. Agric. West. Aust. 27, 118–119.
Barrett-Lennard E G 2002 Restoration of saline land through revegetation. Agric. Water Manage. 53, 213–226.
Barrett-Lennard E G and Malcolm C V 1999 Increased concentrations of chloride beneath stands of saltbushes (Atriplex species) suggest substantial use of groundwater. Aust. J. Exp. Agri. 39, 949–955.
Barrett-Lennard E G, Leighton P D, McPharlin I R, Setter T and Greenway H 1986a Methods to experimentally control waterlogging and measure soil oxygen in field trials. Aust. J. Soil. Res. 24, 477–483.
Barrett-Lennard E G, Malcolm C V, Stern W R and Wilkins S M 1986b Forage and Fuel Production from Salt Affected Wasteland. Elsevier, Amsterdam. 459 pp.
Barrett-Lennard E G, Leighton P D, Buwalda F, Gibbs J, Armstrong W, Thomson C J and Greenway H 1988 Effects of growing wheat in hypoxic nutrient solutions and of subsequent transfer to aerated solutions. I. Growth and carbohydrate status of shoots and roots. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 15, 585–598.
Barrett-Lennard E G, Ratingen van P and Mathie M H 1999a The developing pattern of damage in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) due to the combined stresses of salinity and hypoxia: experiments under controlled conditions suggest a methodology for plant selection. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 50, 129–136.
Barrett-Lennard E G, Griffin T and Goulding P 1999b Assessing areas of saltland suitable for productive use in the wheatbelt of WA: a preliminary assessment for the State Salinity Council, Perth. 14 pp.
Belford R K, Cannell R Q, Thomson R J and Dennis C W 1980 Effects of waterlogging at different stages of development on the growth and yield of peas (Pisum sativum L.). J. Sci. Food Agric. 31, 857–869.
Benjamin L R and Greenway H 1979 Effects of a range of O2 concentrations on the porosity of barley roots and on their sugar and protein concentrations. Ann. Bot. 43, 383–391.
Boursier P, Lynch J, Läuchli A and Epstein E 1987 Chloride partitioning in leaves of salt-stressed sorghum, maize, wheat and barley. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 14, 463–473.
Bradford K J and Hsiao T C 1982 Stomatal behaviour and water relations of waterlogged tomato plants. Plant Physiol. 70, 1508–1513.
Buwalda F, Barrett-Lennard E G, Greenway H and Davies B A 1988a Effects of growing wheat in hypoxic nutrient solutions and of subsequent transfer to aerated solutions. II. Concentrations and uptake of nutrients and sodium in shoots and roots. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 15, 599–612.
Buwalda F, Thomson, C J, Steigner W, Barrett-Lennard E G, Gibbs J and Greenway H 1988b Hypoxia induces membrane depolarization and potassium loss from wheat roots but does not increase their permeability to sorbitol. J. Exp. Bot. 39, 1169–1183.
Choukr-Allah R 1996 The potential of halophytes in the development and rehabilitation of arid and semi-arid zones. In Halophytes and Biosaline Agriculture. Eds. R Choukr-Allah, C V Malcolm and A Hamdy. pp. 3–13. Marcel Dekker, New York.
Craig G F 1989 Salt tolerant acacias of Western Australia and their rhizobial symbionts. PhD thesis, Department of Botany, University of Western Australia.
Craig G F, Bell D T and Atkins C A 1990 Response to salt and waterlogging stress of ten taxa of Acacia selected from naturally saline areas of Western Australia. Aust. J. Bot. 38, 619–630.
Drew M C 1983 Plant injury and adaptation to oxygen deficiency in the root environment: a review. Plant Soil, 75, 179–199.
Drew MC and Dikumwin E 1985 Sodium exclusion from the shoots by roots of Zea mays (cv. LG 11) and its breakdown with oxygen deficiency. J. Exp. Bot. 36, 55–62.
Drew M C and Läuchli A 1985 Oxygen-dependent exclusion of sodium ions from roots of Zea mays (cv Pioneer 3906) in relation to salinity damage. Plant Physiol. 79, 171–176.
Drew M C, Chamel A, Garrec J-P and Fourcy A 1980 Cortical air spaces (aerenchyma) in roots of corn subjected to oxygen stress: structure and influence on uptake and translocation of 86Rubidium ions. Plant Physiol. 65, 506–511.
Drew M C, Gunther J and Läuchli A 1988 The combined effects of salinity and root anoxia on growth and net Na+ and K+ accumulation in Zea mays grown in solution culture. Ann. Bot. 61, 41–53.
Else MA, Coupland D, Dutton, L and Jackson MB 2001 Decreased root hydraulic conductivity reduces leaf water potential, initiates stomatal closure and slows leaf expansion in flooded plants of castor oil (Ricinus communis) despite diminished delivery of ABA from the roots to shoots in xylem sap. Physiol. Plant. 111, 46–54.
Epstein E and Norlyn J D 1977 Seawater-based crop production: a feasibility study. Science 200, 249–251.
Epstein E, Norlyn J D, Rush D W, Kingsbury R W, Kelley D B, Cunningham G A and Wrona A 1980 Saline culture of crops: a genetic approach. Science 210, 399–404.
Flora of Australia 1988 Myrtaceae – Eucalyptus, Angophora. Vol. 19, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
Flora of Australia 1989 Hamamelidates to Casuarinales. Vol. 3, Australian Biological Resources Study/CSIRO Publishing.
Flora of Australia 2001a Mimosaceae Acacia Part 1. Vol. 11A, Australian Biological Resources Study/CSIRO Publishing.
Flora of Australia 2001b Mimosaceae Acacia Part 2. Vol. 11B, Australian Biological Resources Study/CSIRO Publishing.
Galloway R and Davidson N J 1993 The response of Atriplex amnicola to the interactive effects of salinity and hypoxia. J. Exp. Bot. 44, 653–663.
Ghassemi F, Jakeman A J and Nix H A 1995 Salinisation of Land and Water Resources: Human causes, extent, management and case studies. University of New South Wales Press, Sydney. 526 pp.
Grable A R 1966 Soil aeration and plant growth. Adv. Agron. 18, 57–106.
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 and Gibbs J 2003 Mechanisms of anoxia tolerance in plants II. Energy requirements for maintenance and energy distribution to essential processes. Functional Plant Biol. (in press).
Greenway H and Munns R 1980 Mechanisms of salt tolerance in nonhalophytes. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 31, 149–190.
Hatton T J, Bartle G A, Silberstein R P, Salama R B, Hodgson G, Ward P R, Lambert P and Williamson D R 2002 Predicting and controlling water logging and groundwater flow in sloping duplex soils in western Australia. Agric. Water Manage. 53, 57–81.
Huang C X and Steveninck van R F M 1989 Maintenance of low Cl? in mesophyll cells of leaf blades of barley seedlings exposed to salt stress. Plant Physiol. 90, 1440–1443.
Huang B, NeSmith D S, Bridges D C and Johnson J W 1995a Responses of squash to salinity, waterlogging, and subsequent drainage: I. Gas exchange, water relations, and nitrogen status. J. Plant Nutr. 18, 127–140.
Huang B, NeSmith D S, Bridges D C and Johnson J W 1995b Responses of squash to salinity, waterlogging, and subsequent drainage: II. Root and shoot growth. J. Plant Nutr. 18, 141–152.
Huck M G 1970 Variation in taproot elongation rate as influenced by composition of the soil air. Agron. J. 62, 815–818.
Jackson M B and Hall K C 1987 Early stomatal closure in waterlogged pea plants is mediated by abscisic acid in the absence of foliar water deficits. Plant Cell Environ. 10, 121–130.
Jacoby B 1964 Function of bean roots and stems in sodium retention. Plant Physiol. 39, 445–449.
John C D 1977 The structure of rice roots grown in aerobic and anaerobic environments. Plant Soil 47, 269–274.
John C D, Limpinuntana V and Greenway H 1977 Interaction of salinity and anaerobiosis in barley and rice. J. Exp. Bot. 28, 133–141.
Kriedemann P E and Sands R 1984 Salt resistance and adaptation to root-zone hypoxia in sunflower. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 11, 287–301.
Ladiges P Y, Foord P C and Willis R J 1981 Salinity and waterlogging tolerance of some populations of Melaleuca ericifolia Smith. Aust. J. Ecol. 6, 203–215.
Maas E V and Hoffman G J 1977 Crop salt tolerance – current assessment. J. Irrigation Drainage Div. Am. Soc. Civil Eng. 103, 115–134.
Malcolm C V 1983 Wheatbelt salinity: a review of the salt land problem in south-western Australia. Technical Bulletin No. 52, Department of Agriculture, South Perth, Western Australia. 65 pp.
Marcar N E 1993 Waterlogging modifies growth, water use and ion concentrations in seedlings of salt-treated Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. tereticornis, E. robusta and E. globulus. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 20, 1–13.
Moezel van der P G, Watson L E, Pearce-Pinto G V N and Bell D T 1988 The response of six Eucalyptus species and Casuarina obesa to the combined effect of salinity and waterlogging. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 15, 465–474.
Moezel van der P G, Watson L E and Bell D T 1989a Gas exchange responses of two Eucalyptus species to salinity and waterlogging. Tree Physiol. 5, 251–257.
Moezel van der P G, Walton C S, Pearce-Pinto G V N and Bell D T 1989b Screening for salinity and waterlogging tolerance in five Casuarina species. Landscape and Urban Plan. 17, 331–337.
Moezel van der P G, Pearce-Pinto G V N and Bell D T 1991 Screening for salt and waterlogging tolerance in Eucalyptus and Melaleuca species. For. Ecol. Manage. 40, 27–37.
Morard P and Silvestre J 1996 Plant injury due to oxygen deficiency in the root environment of soilless culture: a review. Plant Soil 184, 243–254.
Munns R 1985 Na+, K+ and Cl- in xylem sap flowing to shoots of NaCl-treated barley. J. Exp. Bot. 36, 1032–1042.
Munns R, Greenway H and Kirst G O 1983 Halotolerant Eukaryotes. In Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, Volume 12C. Eds. OL Lange, PS Nobel, CB Osmond and H Ziegler. pp. 59–135. Springer, Berlin.
National Land and Water Resources Audit 2001 Australian Dryland Salinity Assessment 2000. Extent, impacts, processes, monitoring and management options. Land and Water Australia. 129 p.
Pitman M G 1972 Uptake and transport of ions in barley seedlings. 3. Correlation between transport to the shoot and relative growth rate. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 25, 905–919.
Qureshi R H and Barrett-Lennard E G 1998 Saline Agriculture for Irrigated Land in Pakistan: a Handbook. Monograph No. 50, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Canberra. 142 pp.
Qureshi R H, Salim M, Abdullah M and Pitman M G 1982 Diplachne fusca: an Australian salt tolerant grass used in Pakistani agriculture. J. Aust. Inst. Agric. Sci. 48, 195–199.
Richards L A 1954 Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline and Alkali Soils. Handbook No. 60. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. 160 pp.
Richards R A 1983 Should selection for yield in saline conditions be made on saline or non-saline soils. Euphytica 32, 431–438.
Richards R A, Dennett C W, Qualset C O, Epstein E, Norlyn J D and Winslow M D 1987 Variation in yield of grain and biomass in wheat, barley, and triticale in a salt-affected field. Field Crops Res. 15, 277–287.
Roberts J K M, Wemmer D, Ray P M and Jardetzky 1982. Regulation of cytoplasmic and vacuolar pH in maize root tips under different experimental conditions. Plant Physiol. 69, 1344–1347.
Roberts J K M, Andrade F H and Anderson I C 1985. Further evidence that cytoplasmic acidosis is a determinant of flooding intolerance in plants. Plant Physiol. 77, 492–494.
Robertson G 1996 Saline land in Australia – its extent and predicted trends. Aust. J. Soil Wat. Conserv. 9 (3), 4–7.
Rogers A L and Bailey E T 1963 Salt tolerance trials with forage plants in south-western Australia. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. Anim. Husb. 3, 125–130.
Schachtman D and Liu W 1999 Molecular pieces to the puzzle of the interaction between potassium and sodium uptake in plants. Trends Plant Sci. 4, 281–287.
Scholander P F, Dam van L and Scholander S I 1955 Gas exchange in the roots of mangroves. Am. J. Bot. 42, 92–98.
Scholander P F, Hammel H T, Hemmingsen E and Garey W 1962 Salt balance in mangroves. Plant Physiol. 37, 722–729.
Stelzer R and Läuchli A 1977 Salz und Ñberflutungstoleranz von Puccinellia peisonis II. Strukturelle Differenzierung der Wurzel in Beziehung zur Funktion. Z. Pflanzenphysiol. 84, 95–108.
Stevens R M and Harvey G 1995 Effects of waterlogging, rootstock and salinity on Na, Cl and K concentrations of the leaf and root, and shoot growth of sultana grapevines. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 46, 541–551.
Teakle L J H and Burvill G H 1945 The management of salt lands in Western Australia. J. Agric. West. Aust. 22, 87–93.
Teal J M and Kanwisher JW 1966 Gas transport in the marsh grass, Spartina alterniflora. J. Exp. Bot. 17, 355–361.
Thomson C J, Armstrong W, Waters I and Greenway H 1990 Aerenchyma formation and associated oxygen movement in seminal and nodal roots of wheat. Plant Cell Environ. 13, 395–403.
Trought M C T and Drew M C 1980 The development of waterlogging damage in young wheat plants in anaerobic solution cultures. J. Exp. Bot. 31, 1573–1585.
Tyerman S D and Skerrett I M 1999 Root ion channels and salinity. Sci. Hort. 78, 175–235.
Vartapetian B B and Jackson M B 1997 Plant adaptations to anaerobic stress. Ann. Bot. 79 (Suppl. A), 3–20.
Webb T and Armstrong W 1983 The effects of anoxia and carbohydrates on the growth and viability of rice, pea and pumpkin roots. J. Exp. Bot. 34, 579–603.
West D Wand Black J D F 1978 Irrigation timing—its influence on the effects of salinity and waterlogging stresses in tobacco plants. Soil Sci. 125, 367–376.
West D W and Taylor J A 1980a The effect of temperature on salt uptake by tomato plants with diurnal and nocturnal waterlogging of salinized rootzones. Plant Soil 56, 113–121.
West D W and Taylor J A 1980b The response of Phaseolus vulgaris L. to root-zone anaerobiosis, waterlogging and high sodium chloride. Ann. Bot. 46, 51–60.
West D W and Taylor J A 1984 Response of six grape cultivars to the combined effects of high salinity and rootzone waterlogging. J. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. 109, 844–851.
Wijte A H B M and Gallagher J L 1996 Effect of oxygen availability and salinity on early life history stages of salt marsh plants. I. Different germination strategies of Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis (Poaceae). Am. J. Bot. 83, 1337–1342.
Yensen N P, Yensen S B and Weber C W 1988 A review of Distichlis spp. for production and nutritional values. In Arid Lands: Today and Tomorrow. Eds. EE Whitehead, CF Hutchinson, BN Timmermann and RB Varady. pp. 809–822. Westview Press, Boulder, CO.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Barrett-Lennard, E. The interaction between waterlogging and salinity in higher plants: causes, consequences and implications. Plant and Soil 253, 35–54 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024574622669
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024574622669