biologia plantarum

International journal on Plant Life established by Bohumil Němec in 1959

Biologia plantarum 39:251-259, 1997 | DOI: 10.1023/A:1001072704686

Responses of alfalfa to potassium, calcium, and nitrogen under stress induced by sodium chloride

M.G. Khan1, M. Silberbush1, S.H. Lips1
1 Biostress Research Laboratory, Desert Agrobiology Research Center, The Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Sede Boqer Campus, Israel

The physiological responses of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. Gilboa) to salinity (100 mM NaCl) and some inorganic nutrients (K+, Ca2+ and N as NO3-) were investigated. Salinity caused a substantial reduction in biomass, carbon assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, leaf area, relative growth rate, NO3- content and nitrate reductase activity, whereas, transpiration rate was slightly affected. Inclusion of K+, Ca2+ and N as NO3- in plant nutrient medium in combination or alone brought about a marked stimulation in control plants and moderated the salinity caused reductions in NaCl treated plants. In addition, plants also exhibited differences in these parameters at two growth stages.

Keywords: CO2 assimilation; dry mass; nitrate content; nitrate reductase activity; relative growth rate; stomatal conductance; water use efficiency
Subjects: growth rate, relative, NaCl, K, Ca, N; NaCl stress, gas exchange, production; NaCl stress, K, Ca, N; nitrate reductase, NaCl, K, Ca, N; stomatal conductance, NaCl, K, Ca, N; water use efficiency, NaCl, K, Ca, N

Published: September 1, 1997  Show citation

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Khan, M.G., Silberbush, M., & Lips, S.H. (1997). Responses of alfalfa to potassium, calcium, and nitrogen under stress induced by sodium chloride. Biologia plantarum, 39(2), 251-259. doi: 10.1023/A:1001072704686
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