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Involvement of Source-Sink Relationship and Hormonal Control in the Response of Medicago Ciliaris — Sinorhizobium Medicae Symbiosis to Salt Stress

Acta Biologica Hungarica volume 63, pages 97–112 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

In order to explore the relationship between leaf hormonal status and source-sink relations in the response of symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) to salt stress, three major phytohormones (cytokinins, abscisic acid and the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid), sucrose phosphate synthase activity in source leaves and sucrolytic activities in sink organs were analysed in two lines of Medicago ciliaris (salt-tolerant TNC 1.8 and salt-sensitive TNC 11.9). SNF (measured as nitrogenase activity and amount of N-fixed) was more affected by salt treatment in the TNC 11.9 than in TNC 1.8, and this could be explained by a decrease in nodule sucrolytic activities. SNF capacity was reflected in leaf biomass production and in the sink activity under salinity, as suggested by the higher salt-induced decrease in the young leaf sucrolytic activities in the sensitive line TNC 11.9, while they were not affected in the tolerant line TNC 1.8. As a consequence of maintaining sink activities in the actively growing organs, the key enzymatic activity for synthesis of sucrose (sucrose phosphate synthase) was also less affected in the mature leaves of the more tolerant genotype. Ours results showed also that the major hormone factor associated with the relative tolerance of TNC 1.8 was the stimulation of abscisic acid concentration in young leaves under salt treatment. This stimulation may control photosynthetic organ growth and also may contribute to a certain degree in the maintenance of coordinated sink-source relationships. Therefore, ABA may be an important component which conserves sucrose synthesis in source leaves.

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Author notes

  1. Imène Ben Salah and Nahida Jelali have participated equally to this work.

Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Plantes Extrêmophiles, CBBC, BP 901, 2050-Hammam-Lif, Tunisia

    Imène Ben Salah, Nahida Jelali, T. Slatni & C. Abdelly

  2. Department of Plant Nutrition, CEBAS-CSIC, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain

    A. Albacete, Cristina Martínez Andújar, V. Martinez & F. Pérez-Alfocea

  3. Saskatoon Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. 107 Science Cresc, Saskatoon, SK, S7N0X2, Canada

    Margaret Gruber

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  1. Imène Ben Salah
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  2. Nahida Jelali
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  4. Margaret Gruber
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Correspondence to Imène Ben Salah.

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Salah, I.B., Jelali, N., Slatni, T. et al. Involvement of Source-Sink Relationship and Hormonal Control in the Response of Medicago Ciliaris — Sinorhizobium Medicae Symbiosis to Salt Stress. BIOLOGIA FUTURA 63, 97–112 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1556/ABiol.63.2012.1.8

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Keywords

  • Nitrogen fixation
  • phytohormones
  • salt stress
  • source-sink activity
  • sucrose enzyme activities