Ammonium nutrition in the halophyte Spartina alterniflora under salt stress: evidence for a priming effect of ammonium?

Abstract

The effects of salt stress on the salt marsh halophyte Spartina alterniflora have been well documented. However, plant responses to combined salinity and ammonium toxicity and the underlying mechanisms are relatively unknown. The aim of the present investigation was to study the effects of both salinity (0, 200 and 500 mM NaCl) and nitrogen form (NO3 −, NH4 + or NH4NO3) on S. alterniflora. Plants were cultivated in sandy soil under greenhouse conditions for 3 months. At harvest, growth parameters were measured and leaf samples were analysed for oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde, MDA; electrolyte leakage, EL; and hydrogen peroxide, H2O2 concentration) and the activity of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione reductase, GR; superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; ascorbate peroxidase, APX and Guaiacol peroxidase, GPX). In the absence of NaCl, plant growth rate was the highest in the medium containing both nitrogen forms, and the lowest in the medium containing only nitrate. Irrespective of the nitrogen form, plant growth was generally higher at 200 mM NaCl than without salinity. Ammonium-fed plants showed better growth than nitrate-fed plants under high salinity. In the absence of salinity, ammonium-fed plants showed higher SOD, APX, GR, CAT, and GPX activities than nitrate-fed ones. The antioxidant enzymes exhibited higher activity in saline-treated plants. The considerable advantage of NH4 + nutrition to S. alterniflora under saline conditions was associated with high antioxidant enzyme activities, together with low MDA content, EL, and H2O2 concentration. These data clearly demonstrate that NH4 + is more favourable for the growth of S. alterniflora under high salinity than NO3 −. It is suggested that NH4 + nutrition improves the plant’s capacity to limit oxidative damage by stimulating the activities of the major antioxidant enzymes.