Abstract
Nitrogen (N) acts as nutrient and signaling molecule in plants all over their development stages. The involvement of various N forms in the regulation of seed germination response to salt stress was assessed in the present work. Nitrogen sources (NO, NO2−, NO3−, NH4+, glutamine and glutamate) were added at 1mMto the germination medium of barley (Hordeum vulgare, cv Ardhaoui) in combination or not with NaCl stress (14 g.L−1). The application of nitrogen monoxide (NO) alleviated by about 20% the NaCl-induced germination capacity decrease. However, the addition of ammonium ions (NH4+) and glutamic acid (Glu) accentuated the inhibitory effects of NaCl, decreasing germination capacity by about 50% compared to the control. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), which is an indicator of membrane lipid peroxidation by stresses, were increased by salinity in seeds treated with nitrite (NO2−), NO3−, Glu and Gln. In N-free medium, NaCl stress induced a severe nitrate reductase activity (NR, EC 1.6.1.6) inhibition. Such an effect was alleviated by the application of N treatments. Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH, EC 1.4.1.2) aminating activity (NADH-GDH) of seedlings was inhibited by NaCl stress in the presence of NO, Glu and Gln. Conversely, there was stimulation by salt stress of NADH-GDH activity in seedlings treated with NaCl and NH4+. Deaminating GDH activity (NAD-GDH) was found to be enhanced by salt stress in NO2− and NO3− treatments. The differential effects of applied N forms on germination and early seedling development processes in this grass probably underlines different regulatory actions within N mobilization and assimilation.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Atia, A., Debez, A., Rabhi, M., Smaoui, A., Abdelly, C. 2009. Interactive effects of salinity, nitrate, light, and seed weight on the germination of the halophyte Crithmum maritimum. Acta Biol. Hung. 60:433–439.
Bansal, S., Hallsby, G., Löfvenius, M.O., Nilsson, M.C. 2013. Synergistic, additive and antagonistic impacts of drought and herbivory on Pinus sylvestris: leaf, tissue and whole-plant responses and recovery. Tree Physiol 33:451–463.
Barrett-Lennard, E.G. 2003. The interaction between waterlogging and salinity in higher plants: Causes, consequences and implications. Plant and Soil 253:35–54.
Britto, D.T., Kronzucker, H.J. 2002. NH4+ toxicity in higher plants: A critical review. J. Plant Physiol. 159:567–584.
Chang, C., Wang, B., Shi, L., Li, Y., Duo, L., Zhang, W. 2010. Alleviation of salt stress-induced inhibition of seed germination in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) by ethylene and glutamate. J. Plant Physiol. 167:1152–1156.
Debez, A., Braun, H.P., Pich, A., Taamalli, W., Koyro, H.W., Abdelly, C., Huchzermeyer, B. 2012. Proteomic and physiological responses of the halophyte Cakile maritima to moderate salinity at the germinative and vegetative stages. J. Proteomics 75:5667–5694.
Debouba, M., Kbaier, N., Talbi, S., Gouia, H., Ferchichi, A. 2012. Seeds germination and shoot growth responses of a threatened poaceae (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) to increasing salt stress. Rev. Ecol-Terre Vie 66:19–27.
Deghais, M., ElFaleh, M., Gharbi, M.S., Zarcouna, T., Chakroun, M. 1999. Les acquis de l’amélioration génétique des céréales en Tunisie (Achievements of genetic improvement of cereals in Tunisia). Ann. INRAT 72:3–30. (in French)
Dhindsa, R.S., Plumb-Dhindsa, P., 1981. Leaf senescence correlated with increased levels of membrane permeabiliy and lipid peroxidation, and decreased levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase. J. Exp. Bot. 32:93–101.
Doré, C., Varoquaux, F. 2006. Histoire et amélioration de cinquante plantes cultivées (History and improving of fifty cultivated plants). Paris, France: INRA, pp. 494–497. (in French)
Farooq, M., Wahid, A., Siddique, K.H.M. 2012. Micronutrient application through seed treatments. J. Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 12:125–142.
Forde, B., Lorenzo, H. 2001. The nutritional control of root development. Plant Soil 232:51–68.
Glevarec, G., Bouton, S., Jaspard, E., Riou, M.T., Cliquet, J.B., Suzuki, A., Limami, A.M. 2004. Respective roles of the glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase cycle and glutamate dehydrogenase in ammonium and amino acid metabolism during germination and post-germinative growth in the model legume Medicago truncatula. Planta 219:286–297.
Gorham, J., Bridges, J., Dubcosky, J., Dvorak, J., Hollington, P.A. 1997. Genetic analysis and physiology of a trait for enhanced K+ /Na+ discrimination in wheat. New Phytol. 137:109–116.
Gregorio, G.B., Senadhira, D., Mendoza, R.D., Manigbas, N.L., Roxas, J.P., Guerta, C.Q. 2002. Progress in breeding for salinity tolerance and associated abiotic stresses in rice. Field Crop Res. 76:91–101.
Heath, R.L., Packer, L. 1968. Photopetoxidation in isolated chloroplasts. I. Kinetics and stoichiometry of fatty acid peroxidation. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 125:189–198.
Kant, S., Kant, P., Lips, H., Barak, S. 2007. Partial substitution of NO3− by NH4+ fertilization increases ammonium assimilating enzyme activities and reduces the deleterious effects of salinity on the growth of barley. J. Plant Physiol. 164:303–311.
Levigneron, A., Lopez, F., Varisuyt, G., Berthomieu, P., Casse-Delbart, F. 1995. Les plantes faces au stress salin (Plants to face salt stress). Cahier d’Agriculture (Notebook Agriculture) 4:263–273. (in French)
Li, R., Shi, F., Fukuda, K. 2010. Interactive effects of salt and alkali stresses on seed germination, germination recovery, and seedling growth of a halophyte Spartina alterniflora (Poaceae). S. Afr. J. Bot. 76:380–387.
Li, W., Liu, X., Ajmal, K.M., Yamaguchi, S. 2005. The effect of plant growth regulators, nitric oxide, nitrate, nitrite and light on the germination of dimorphic seeds of Suaeda salsa under saline conditions. J. Plant Res. 118:207–214.
Lindsay, M.P., Lagudah, E.S., Hare, R.A., Munns, R. 2004. A locus for sodium exclusion (Nax1), a trait for salt tolerance, mapped in durum wheat. Funct Plant Biol. 31:1105–1114.
Loyala-Vergas, V.M., De Jimenez, E.S. 1984. Differential role of glutamate dehydrogenase in nitrogen metabolism of maize tissues. Plant Physiol. 76:536–540.
Magalhaes, J.R., Huber, D.M. 1991. Response of ammonium assimilation enzymes to nitrogen form treatments in different plant species. J. Plant Nutr. 14:175–185.
Manai, J., Gouia, H., Corpas, F.J. 2014. Redox and nitric oxide homeostasis are affected in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) roots under salinity-induced oxidative stress. J. Plant Physiol. 171:1028–1035.
Munns, R., James, R.A., Lauchli, A. 2006. Approaches to increasing the salt tolerance of wheat and other cereals. J. Exp. Bot. 57:1025–1043.
Pérez-Fernández, M.A., Rodríguez-Echeverría, S. 2003. Effect of smoke, charred wood and nitrogenous compounds on seed germination of ten species from woodland in Central-Western Spain. J. Chem. Ecol. 29:237–251.
Robin, P. 1979. Etude de quelques conditions d’extraction de la nitrate réductase des racines et des feuilles de plantules de maïs (Study of some extraction conditions of the nitrate reductase of the roots and leaves of maize seedlings). Physiol. Veg. 17:45–54. (in French)
Santos, C., Pereira, A., Pereira, S., Teixeira, J. 2004. Regulation of glutamine synthetase expression in sunflower cells exposed to salt and osmotic stress. Sci. Hortic. 103:101–111.
Sbei, H., Hammami, Z., Trifa, Y., Hamza, S., Harrabi, M. 2012. Phenotypic diversity analysis for salinity tolerance of Tunisian barley populations (Hordeum vulgare L.). J. Arid Land Stud. 22:57–60.
Sharma, P., Jha, A.B., Dubey, R.S., Pessarakli, M. 2012. Reactive oxygen species, oxidative damage, and antioxidative defense mechanism in plants under stressful conditions. J. Bot. 2012:1–26.
Shi, Q., Ding, F., Wang, X., Wei, M. 2007. Exogenous nitric oxide protects cucumber roots against oxidative stress induced by salt stress. Plant Physiol. Biochem. 45:542–550.
Voigt, E.L., Almeida, T.D., Chagas, R.M., Ponte, L.F.A., Viégas, R.A., Silveira, J.A.G. 2009. Source-sink regulation of cotyledonary reserve mobilization during cashew (Anacardium occidentale) seedling establishment under NaCl salinity. J. Plant Physiol. 169:80–89.
Wang, W.B., Kim, Y.H., Lee, H.S., Kim, K.Y., Deng, X.P., Kwak, S.S. 2009. Analysis of antioxidant enzyme activity during germination of Alfalfa under salt and drought stresses. Plant Physiol. Biochem. 47:570–577.
Zhang, Y., Wang, L., Liu, Y., Zhang, Q., Wei, Q., Zhang, W. 2006. Nitric oxide enhances salt tolerance in maize seedlings through increasing activities of proton-pump and Na+ /H+ antiport in the tonoplast. Planta. 224:545–555.
Zhang, Y.Y., Liu, J., Liu, Y.L. 2004. Nitric oxide alleviates growth inhibition of maize seedlings under salt stress. J. Plant Physiol. Mol. Biol. 30:455–459.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by A. Börner and A. Pécsváradi
Rights and permissions
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
About this article
Cite this article
Ounissi, A., Manai, J., Rabhi, M. et al. Nitrogen Source Differently Regulates Barley (Hordeum vulgare) Response to NaCl Stress at Seed Germination and Early Seedling Development Stages. CEREAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 43, 225–235 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1556/CRC.2014.0039
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1556/CRC.2014.0039