Abstract
The effect of water stress on growth, Na+ and K+ accumulation and water utilization was investigated in plants of two populations of Atriplex halimus L. originating from Kairouan (Tunisia) and Tensift (Morocco). Water deficit was applied by withholding water for 22 days. All plants remained alive until the end of the treatment although growth was strongly reduced in both populations. Water stress decreased CO2 assimilation in saturating conditions, mainly in the population obtained from Kairouan, suggesting an impact of drought on the dark phase of photosynthesis, beside a decrease in stomatal conductance which was recorded mainly in the population obtained from Tensift. The two studied populations did not differ in their water consumption, as indicated by similar soil gravimetric water content and plant transpiration. However, water use efficiency increased under stress conditions in the population from Tensift but not in the population from Kairouan. Thelatter population displayed a larger capacity for osmotic adjustment. A drought-induced specific increase in Na+ concentration was also reported in both populations. It is concluded that in A. halimus, water stress resistance estimated in terms of biomass production, could be associated with higher WUE rather than with with a greater osmotic adjustment and that sodium may assume a specific physiological function in this xerohalophytic C4 species.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aoki N., Ohnishi J. and Kanai R.1992. Two different mechanisms for transport of pyruvate into mesophyll chloroplasts of C4 plants–a comparative study. Plant Cell Physiol.33: 805–809.
Bajji M., Kinet J.-M. and Lutts S.1998. Salt stress effects on roots and leaves of Atriplex halimus L. and their corresponding callus cultures. Plant Sci.137: 131–142.
Blumenthal-Goldschmidt S. and Poljakoff-Mayber A.1968. Effect of substrate salinity on growth and on submicroscopic structure of leaf cells of Atriplex halimus L. Aust. J. Bot.16: 469–478.
Brownell P.F. and Bielig L.M.1996. The role of sodium in the conversion of pyruvate to phosphoenolpyruvate in the mesophyll chloroplasts of C4 plants. Aust. J. Plant Physiol.23: 171–177.
Carvajal M., Martínez V. and Alcaraz C.F.1999. Physiological function of water channels as affected by salinity in roots of paprika pepper. Physiol. Plant.105: 95–101.
Carvajal M., Cerdá A. and Martínez V.2000. Does calcium ameliorate the negative effect of NaCl on melon root water transport by regulating aquaporin activity?. New Phytol.145: 439–447.
Cowan I.R.1988. Stomatal physiology and gas exchange in the field. In: Steffen W.L. and Denmead O.T. (eds), Flow and Transport in the Natural Environment: Advances and Applications. Springer–Verlag, Berlin, pp. 160–172.
Farquhar G.D., Ehleringer J.R. and Hubick K.T.1989. Carbon isotope discrimination and photosynthesis. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol.40: 503–537.
Glenn E.P. and Brown J.J.1998. Effects of soil salt levels on the growth and water use efficiency of Atriplex canescens (Chenopodiaceae) varieties in drying soil. Am. J. Bot.85: 10–16.
Glenn E.P., Olsen M.W., Frye R.J. and Moore D.W.1994. How much sodium accumulation is.necessary for salt tolerance of subspecies of the halophyte Atriplex canescens?. Plant Cell Environ.17: 711–719.
Glenn E.P., Pfister R., Brown J., Thompson T. and O'Leary J.1996. Na and K accumulation and salt tolerance of Atriplex canescens (Chenopodiaceae) genotypes. Am. J. Bot.83: 997–1005.
Grof C.P.L., Johnston M. and Brownell P.F.1986. In vivo chlorophyll a fluorescence in sodium-deficient C4 plants. Aust. J. Plant Physiol.13: 589–595.
Grof C.P.L., Johnston M. and Brownell P.F.1989. Effect of sodium on the ultrastructure of chloroplasts of C4 plants. Plant Physiol.89: 539–543.
Le Houérou H.2000. Utilization of fodder trees and shrubs in the arid and semi-arid zones of West Asia and North Africa. Arid Soil Res. Rehab.14: 101–135.
Lutts S., Kinet J.-M. and Bouharmont J.1996. Effects of salt stress on growth, mineral nutrition and proline accumulation in relation to osmotic adjustment in rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars differing in salinity resistance. Plant Growth Regul.19: 207–218.
Martìnez J.P.2001. Mechanisms of resistance to water stress at plant and cellular levels in Atriplex halimus L. PhD Thesis, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Matoh T., Ishikawa T. and Takahashi E.1989. Collapse of ATP-induced pH gradient by sodium ions in microsomal membrane vesicles prepared from Atriplex gmelini leaves. Plant Physiol.89: 180–183.
Monteith J.L., Campbell G.S. and Potter E.A.1988. Theory and performance of a dynamic diffusion porometer. Agric. Forest Meteorol.44: 27–38.
Morgan J.M.1984. Osmoregulation and water stress in higher plants. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol.35: 299–319.
Morison J.I.L.1987. Intercellular CO2 concentration and stomatal responses to CO2. In: Zeiger E., Farquhar G.D. and Cowan I.R. (eds), Stomatal Function. Stanford University Press, Stanford, pp. 229–251.
Mozafar A. and Goodin J.R.1970. Vesiculated hairs: a mechanism for salt tolerance in Atriplex halimus L. Plant Physiol.45: 62–65.
Munns R.1993. Physiological processes limiting plant growth in saline soils: some dogmas and hypothesis. Plant Cell Environ.16: 15–24.
Murata S., Kobayashi M., Matoh T. and Sekiya J.1992. Sodium stimulates regeneration of phosphoenolpyruvate in mesophyll chloroplasts of Amaranthus tricolor. Plant Cell Physiol.33: 1247–1250.
Neumann P.M.1995. The role of cell wall adjustment in plant resistance to water deficits. Crop Sci.35: 1258–1266.
Ohnishi J., Flügge U., Heldt H.W. and Kanai R.1990. Involvement of Na+ in active uptake of pyruvate in mesophyll chloroplasts of some C4 plants. Na+/pyruvate cotransport. Plant Physiol.94: 950–959.
Osmond C.B., Bjorkman O. and Anderson D.J.1980. Physiological Processes in Plant Ecology. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Pitman M.G.1981. Ion uptake. In: Paleg L.G. and Aspinall D.D. (eds), Physiology and Biochemistry of Drought Resistance in Plants. Academic Press, New York, pp. 71–96.
Premachandra G.S., Hahn D.T., Rhodes D. and Joly R.J.1995. Leaf water relations and solute accumulation in two grain sorghum lines exhibiting contrasting drought tolerance. J. Exp. Bot.46: 1833–1841.
Richards L.A.1947. Pressure-membrane apparatus: construction and use. Agric. Eng.24: 451–454.
Storey R., Pitman M.G., Stelzer R. and Carter C.1983. X-ray micro-analysis of cells and cell compartments of Atriplex spongiosa. J. Exp. Bot.34: 778–794.
Subbarao G.V., Wheeler R.M., Levine L.H. and Stutte G.W.2001. Glycine betaine accumulation, ionic and water relations of red-beet at contrasting levels of sodium supply. J. Plant Physiol.158: 767–776.
Turner N.C.1986. Crop water deficits: a decade of progress. Adv. Agron.39: 1–51.
Turner N.C. and Jones M.M.1980. Turgor maintenance by osmotic adjustment: a review and evaluation. In: Turner N.C. and Kramer P.J. (eds), Adaptation of Plants to Water and High Temperatures Stresses. Wiley, New York. pp. 87–104.
van den Boogaard R., de Boer M., Veneklaas E.J. and Lambers H.1996. Relative growth rate, biomass allocation pattern and water use efficiency of three wheat cultivars during on water availability. Physiol. Plant.98: 493–504.
van Genuchten M.T.1980. A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.44: 892–898.
von Caemmerer S. and Farquhar G.D.1981. Some relationships between the biochemistry of photosynthesis and the gas exchange of leaves. Planta153: 376–387.
Wilson C., Lesch S.M. and Grieve C.M.2000. Growth stage modulates salinity tolerance of New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides Pall.) and red orach (Atriplex hortensis L.). Ann. Bot.85: 501–509.
Zhang J., Nguyen H.T. and Blum A.1999. Genetic analysis of osmotic adjustment in crop plants. J. Exp. Bot.50: 291–302.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Martìnez, J., Ledent, J., Bajji, M. et al. Effect of water stress on growth, Na+ and K+ accumulation and water use efficiency in relation to osmotic adjustment in two populations of Atriplex halimus L.. Plant Growth Regulation 41, 63–73 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027359613325
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027359613325