Effect of salinity on seed germination, seedling growth, and inorganic and organic solutes accumulation in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

G.-Q. Wu, Q. Jiao and Q.-Z. Shui
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G.-Q. Wu: School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, P.R. China
Q. Jiao: School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, P.R. China
Q.-Z. Shui: School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, P.R. China

Plant, Soil and Environment, 2015, vol. 61, issue 5, 220-226

Abstract: To investigate the effects of saline stress on seed germination, ion distribution, and organic solutes changes of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), in the present study, seeds and 3-week-old seedlings were subjected to a series of external NaCl concentrations (5-200 mmol). The results showed that high salinity (200 mmol) remarkably inhibited the germination of seed and delayed germination time in sunflower. It was found that 25-200 mmol NaCl significantly reduced both stem and leaf dry weight. Concentrations of 100 and 200 mmol also caused a clear reduction in tissues water content. With the increase of NaCl concentration, Na+ concentrations both in root and stem showed the increasing trend, whereas to a lesser degree in root than in stem. In leaf, Na+ concentration remained unchanged when the external concentrations of NaCl were below 100 mmol, while significantly increased by 41-fold when plants were exposed to 200 mmol. By contrast, K+ concentration in root displayed the decreasing trend with the increase of NaCl concentrations. Neither lower (5 and 10 mmol) nor higher (100 and 200 mmol) salinity significantly affected K+ concentration both in stem and leaf, while moderate levels (25 and 50 mmol) significantly enhanced K+ accumulation. High salinity significantly enhanced soluble sugar concentration in stem by 28% and proline in leaf by 166%. It was proposed that sunflower plants adapt to saline stress to some extent through regulating distribution of Na+ and K+, maintaining higher selective absorption capacity for K+ over Na+, and accumulating more osmoprotectants, such as soluble sugar and proline.

Keywords: soil salinization; sodium chloride; salinity tolerance; osmoregulation; osmotic adjustment; arid environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:61:y:2015:i:5:id:22-2015-pse

DOI: 10.17221/22/2015-PSE

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