HIGHER SALT TOLERANCE OF PHYSALIS PERUVIANA L. CALLUS WITH REDUCED PEROXIDASE ACTIVITY COMPARED TO ITS IN VITRO RAISED SEEDLINGS

Abstract

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of N aCl on the comparative growth and biochemical parameters of seedlings and callus of Physalis peruviana . T he growth of seeds of P. peruviana was studied on MS (control) , MS+50, 100 and 150 m M NaCl , respectively . The seeds germinate d on all treatments but se edlings survived up to radic l e emergence only , on MS supplemented with 100 mM and 150 mM NaCl . The c allus induced on MS medium supplemented with B AP (0.2 mgL - 1 ) and NAA (1.0 mgL - 1 ) using s tem explants from the se see dlings ( control ) was sub cultured on sa lt supplemented MS medium . T he callus grew well up to 100 mM NaCl, where as the seedlings failed to grow . Biochemical analysis indicated that in vivo the seedlings combat with the salt stress by accumulating more phenolics (especially in shoot) and undergoing higher peroxidase activity as compared to control . 100 mM NaCl raised c allus ( in vitro ) has been found to be more tolerant to salt stress as comp ared to similarly treated seedling s, accumulating protein and proline rather than phenolics and peroxidases , i ndicating the mechanism of tolerance in vitro to be primarily through osmotic balance and generation of reductant (phenolics) diminishing the generation of free radicals vis - a - vis climacteric rise of peroxidase activity .