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The effect of plant growth regulators, nitric oxide, nitrate, nitrite and light on the germination of dimorphic seeds of Suaeda salsa under saline conditions

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Abstract

Suaeda salsa, a leaf succulent shrub in the family Chenopodiaceae, is one of the most important halophytes in China. Suaeda salsa produces dimorphic seeds (soft brown seeds and hard black seeds). Seeds of S. salsa were collected from the coastal salt flats near Huanghua City, China. Experiments were conducted to determine the salinity-alleviating effect of plant growth regulators, nitric oxide, nitrate, nitrite and light on the germination of dimorphic seeds of S. salsa. Brown seeds had a higher germination rate than black seeds in all experiments. Black seeds were more sensitive to salt in the absence of light in comparison to brown seeds. Brown seeds absorbed water more quickly in comparison to black seeds and were found to be more tolerant of salt stress. Our results showed that 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC, the immediate precursor of ethylene), nitrite, GA4 and BA improved seed germination in the presence of salt. However, nitrate, GA1, GA3 failed to alleviate salt stress. ABA inhibited seed germination and seedling growth. Possible mechanisms involved in the alleviation of salt stress in S. salsa seeds and the ecological adaptation of the seeds to the environment are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shijiazhuang Institute of Agricultural Modernization, Chinese Academy of Science, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050021, The People’s Republic of China

    Weiqiang Li & Xiaojing Liu

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

    M. Ajmal Khan

  3. Plant Science Center, RIKEN, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan

    Shinjiro Yamaguchi

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  1. Weiqiang Li
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  2. Xiaojing Liu
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  3. M. Ajmal Khan
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  4. Shinjiro Yamaguchi
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Correspondence to Weiqiang Li.

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Li, W., Liu, X., Ajmal Khan, M. et al. 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 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-005-0212-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-005-0212-8

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