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Comparative Salt Tolerance Of Perennial Grasses

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Ecophysiology of High Salinity Tolerant Plants

Part of the book series: Tasks for Vegetation Science ((TAVS,volume 40))

Salt tolerance mechanisms of three perennial halophytic grasses (Aeluropus lagopoides (Linn.) Trin. ex Thw., Sporobolus ioclados (Trin.) C.E. Hubbard and Urochondra setulosa (Nees ex Trin.) Nees) were studied to determine if local species employ similar strategies to tolerate high salinity. We found different patterns of growth, water relations and ion uptake among the species tested. Aeluropus lagopoides and U. setulosa were grown in 0−1000 mM NaCl while S. ioclados in 0−500 mM NaCl under ambient conditions. Plants from non−saline controls had larger fresh and dry weights. Increasing concentrations of salinity from 600 – 1000 mM NaCl for A. lagopodides and U. setulosa and 500 mM NaCl for S. ioclados caused high salinity stress. Water and osmotic potential of the plants increased with increasing salinity and pressure potential decreased slightly in all species. Stomatal conductance in all grasses decreased substantially with the increase in salinity. Ash content remained low (̃12%) in both shoot and root of all grasses and showed little change with the increase in salinity except for S. ioclados, where in root it increased up to 35%. Na+ and Cl− concentrations showed a small increase while Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ remained constant with increasing salinity. Various ion ratios for shoot and root also showed variation between the species tested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    M. Ajmal Khan

  2. Department of Botany, Government Superior Science College, Shah Faisal Colony, Karachi, 75230, Pakistan

    Salman Gulzar

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  1. Salman Gulzar
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  2. M. Ajmal Khan
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Correspondence to M. Ajmal Khan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    M. Ajmal Khan

  2. Dept. of Integrated Biology, Brigham Young University, Karachi, Provo, Utah 84602, USA

    Darrell J. Weber

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Gulzar, S., Khan, M.A. (2008). Comparative Salt Tolerance Of Perennial Grasses. In: Khan, M.A., Weber, D.J. (eds) Ecophysiology of High Salinity Tolerant Plants. Tasks for Vegetation Science, vol 40. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4018-0_17

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