Seed germination, plant growth and physiological responses of Salsola ikonnikovii to short-term NaCl stress

Abstract

Salsola ikonnikovii (Chenopodiaceae), a drought-tolerant plant species that is distributed in sand or light-saline soil in Xinjiang, China, produces seeds (fruits) with attached winged perianths. To study the role of the wing in seed germination under salt stress and to further investigate the growth and physiological responses of the plants to salt stress, the germination behaviour of S. ikonnikovii was determined after winged and non-winged seeds were treated with 0–1000 mmol · L−1 NaCl. Several parameters of two-month old plants that had been treated with NaCl for three weeks were measured. The results revealed that the winged perianths limited germination but protected the seeds from salt damage. The growth of the plants was stimulated by lower concentrations of salt (≤100 mmol · L−1 NaCl), while increasing salt concentrations inhibited growth. The level of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde increased significantly at high concentrations of salt. Correspondingly, concentrations of the osmolytes proline, betaine, and soluble sugars, and the activities of antioxidative enzymes (catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase) increased, but the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants (carotenoids, glutathione) were significantly reduced at high salt concentrations. These results imply that osmotic adjustment and the antioxidative system may work synergistically to ensure that a plant grows normally under high salt concentrations.