Comparison of salinity tolerance of three Atriplex spp. in well-watered and drying soils

► Atriplex species exhibit a wide range of tolerance to salinity and drought. ► Salt tolerance is positively related to sodium uptake. ► Water use efficiency was enhanced by salinity in drying soils. ► Salinity enhanced dry matter production in drying soils. ► Salinity enhances tolerance to drought...

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Published in:	Environmental and experimental botany Vol. 83; pp. 62 - 72
Main Authors:	Glenn, Edward P., Nelson, Stephen G., Ambrose, Brendon, Martinez, Rafael, Soliz, Deserie, Pabendinskas, Vytas, Hultine, Kevin
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-11-2012 Elsevier
Subjects:	Atriplex Atriplex hortensis Biological and medical sciences C4 photosynthesis Calcium Calvin cycle canescens Drought drought tolerance dry matter accumulation freshwater Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology greenhouse experimentation greenhouse soils habitat preferences Halophytes hortensis lentiformis magnesium nitrates Osmotic adjustment potassium Salinity salt stress salt tolerance shoots sodium sodium chloride soil quality soil salinity soil solution soil water sulfates Tolerance water use efficiency hortensis Halophytes Osmotic adjustment canescens Tolerance Atriplex lentiformis Drought Salinity Water Halophyte Halotolerance Plant ecology Osmoregulation Chenopodiaceae Soils Dicotyledones Angiospermae Botany Spermatophyta Drying
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Summary:	► Atriplex species exhibit a wide range of tolerance to salinity and drought. ► Salt tolerance is positively related to sodium uptake. ► Water use efficiency was enhanced by salinity in drying soils. ► Salinity enhanced dry matter production in drying soils. ► Salinity enhances tolerance to drought in drying soils. Members of the Chenopodiaceae are well adapted to both salt and drought stress and can serve as model species to understand the mechanisms of tolerance in plants. We grew Atriplex hortensis (ATHO), A. canescens (ATCA), and A. lentiformis (ATLE) along a NaCL salinity gradient under non-water-limited conditions and in drying soils in greenhouse experiments. The species differed in photosynthetic carbon fixation pathway, capacity for sodium uptake, and habitat preferences. Under non-water-limited conditions, ATLE (C4) maintained high growth rates up to 30gL−1 NaCl. ATHO (C3) had lower growth than ATLE at high salinities, while ATCA (C4) grew more slowly than either ATLE or ATHO and showed no net growth above 20gL−1 NaCl. ATHO and ATLE accumulated twice as much sodium in their shoots as ATCA, but all three species had increasing sodium levels at higher salinities. Potassium, magnesium and calcium levels were relatively constant over the salinity gradient. All three species showed marked accumulation of chloride across the salinity gradient, whereas nitrate, phosphorous and sulfate decreased with salinity. The effect of drought was simulated by growing plants in sealed pots with an initial charge of water plus NaCl, and allowing them to grow to the end point at which they no longer were able to extract water from the soil solution. Drought and salinity were not additive stress factors for Atriplex spp. in this experiment. NaCl increased their ability to extract water from the soil solution compared to fresh water controls. ATLE showed increased shoot dry matter production and increased water use efficiency (WUE) as initial salinity levels increased from 0 to 30gL−1 NaCl, whereas dry matter production and WUE peaked at 5gL−1 for ATHO and ATCA. Final soil moisture salinities tolerated by species were 85gL−1, 55gL−1 and 160gL−1 NaCl for ATHO, ATCA and ATLE, respectively. C4 photosynthesis and sodium accumulation in shoots were associated with high drought and salt tolerance.
Bibliography:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2012.04.010 ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23
ISSN:	0098-8472 1873-7307
DOI:	10.1016/j.envexpbot.2012.04.010