Effects of various mixed salt-alkaline stresses on growth,photosynthesis, and photosynthetic pigment concentrations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Medicago ruthenica</Emphasis> seedlings

Soil salinization and alkalinization frequently co-occur in naturally saline and alkaline soils. To understand the characteristics of mixed salt-alkali stress and adaptive response of Medicago ruthenica seedlings to salt-alkali stress, water content of shoots, growth and photosynthetic characteristics of seedlings under 30 salt-alkaline combinations (salinity 24–120 mM and pH 7.03–10.32) with mixed salts (NaCl, Na₂SO₄, NaHCO₃, and Na₂CO₃) were examined. The indices were significantly affected by both salinity and pH. The interactive effects between salt and alkali stresses were significant, except for photosynthetic pigments. Water content of shoots, relative growth rates of shoots and roots and pigment concentrations showed decreasing trends with increasing salinity and alkalinity. The root activity under high alkalinity and salinity treatments gradually decreased, but was stimulated by the combined effects of low alkalinity and salinity. The survival rate decreased with increased salinity, except at pH 7.03–7.26 when all plants survived. Net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and intercellular CO₂ concentration decreased with increased salinity and pH. M. ruthenica tolerated the stress of high salt concentration when alkali concentration was low, and the synergistic effects of high alkali and high salt concentrations lead to the death of some or all seedlings. M. ruthenica appeared to be saltalkali tolerant. Reducing the salt concentration or pH based on the salt components in the soil may be helpful to abate damage from mixed salt-alkaline stress.     

盐碱协同胁迫对向日葵抗氧化酶系统的影响

根据中国东北盐碱土壤特点,将4种盐NaCl、NaHCO3、Na2SO4和Na2CO3按不同比例混合,模拟出25种盐度和pH值各不相同的复杂盐碱条件(盐浓度为50～250 mmol/L,pH值为712～1046),并对向日葵苗进行盐碱混合胁迫处理,研究了向日葵超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)和过氧化物酶(POD)酶等抗氧化酶系统和丙二醛(MDA)的盐碱协同胁迫效应．结果表明, 向日葵抗氧化物酶活性强弱同时与盐度和碱度密切相关,3种抗氧化物酶活性对于盐浓度的反应相似,均为其含量随着盐浓度的升高开始逐渐升高然后下降,而对于pH的影响,不同酶反应结果不同．即随着pH值升高,SOD酶活性和CAT酶活性降低,而POD酶活性反应则是随着pH值升高活性也升高．双向方差分析(ANOVA)结果表明：盐碱效应对于3种酶活力的影响是显著的．其中,盐效应对POD和SOD活性的影响比pH值的影响大,而pH值对CAT活性的影响效应比盐效应大．除SOD外,盐碱效应的交互作用显著 (P<0001)．抗氧化酶系统和MDA含量两者间相关性和逐步回归分析表明,3种酶对MDA的影响效应随其强度不同呈现显著不同．其中SOD是1个主导因子,CAT 处于次位, 而POD的影响不大,甚至可以忽略．     

Effects of various salt-alkaline mixed stresses on Aneurolepidium chinense (Trin.) Kitag.

The stress conditions of salt-alkalinized soil were simulated to investigate the features and acting factors of salt-alkaline mixed stress, using a natural salt-alkaline tolerant grass Aneurolepidium chinense (Trin.) Kitag. According to the features of salt-alkalinized soil in the northeast of China, various salt-alkali conditions with different salinities and pHs were established by mixing NaCl, NaHCO₃, Na₂SO₄, and Na₂CO₃, in various proportions. The treatments included a salt concentration range of 50 to 350 mM and pH values from 7.14 to 10.81. Seedlings of A. chinense were stressed under these salt-alkali conditions. Several physiological indices of seedling stress were determined, including survival rate, tillering rate, number of rhizomes, relative growth rate (RGR), proline content, electrolyte leakage rate, and Na⁺ and K⁺ content, in order to analyze the characteristics of the stresses due to the salt-alkali mixes and their main stress factors.The results showed that the survival rate, tillering rate, number of rhizomes, RGR, and K⁺ content of A. chinense decreased with increasing salinity and pH (or alkalinity). Proline and Na⁺ content and electrolyte leakage rate increased with increasing salinity and pH (or alkalinity). The deleterious effects of a high pH value or salinity alone were significantly less than those of high pH in combination with salinity. This result suggested that for a salt-alkaline mixed stress, a reciprocal enhancement between salt stress and alkali stress was a characteristic feature, and it was most evidently reflected in the survival rate. When salinity was below 125 mM or pH was below 8.8, survival rates were all 100%. However, when salinity was above 125 mM and pH was above 8.8, survival rates sharply declined with the increasing of either salinity or pH.The buffer capacity of the treatment solution was taken as a stress factor in order to simplify the stress factor analysis. The results of the statistical analysis showed that for the stress factors of the salt-alkaline mixed stress, [CO₃^2–] and [HCO₃^–] could be fully represented by the buffer capacity, and [Na⁺] could be fully represented by salinity, whereas [SO₄^2–] was negligible. Therefore, four factors, salinity, buffer capacity, pH and [Cl^–], could reflect all of the stress factors. Perfect linear correlations were observed between all physiological indices and four or three stress factors by a stepwise regression analysis. However, the effects of the four stress factors on the physiological indices were significantly different in magnitude. Buffer capacity and salinity were dominant factors for all physiological indices. Thus, it is reasonable to consider the sum of salinity plus buffer capacity as the strength value of salt-alkaline mixed stress. Furthermore, the relationships between different physiological indices and various stress factors were shown to be different.     

Ectopic Expression of a Bacterium NhaD-type Na~+/H~+ Antiporter Leads to Increased Tolerance to Combined Salt/Alkali Stresses

AaNhaD,a gene isolated from the soda lake alkaliphile Alkalimonas amylolytica,encodes a Na+/H+ antiporter crucial for the bacterium’s resistance to salt/alkali stresses.However,it remains unknown whether this type of bacterial gene may be able to increase the tolerance of flowering plants to salt/alkali stresses.To investigate the use of extremophile genetic resources in higher plants,transgenic tobacco BY-2 cells and plants harboring AaNhaD were generated and their stress tolerance was evaluated.Ectopic expression of AaNhaD enhanced the salt tolerance of the transgenic BY-2 cells in a pH-dependent manner.Compared to wild-type controls,the transgenic cells exhibited increased Na+concentrations and pH levels in the vacuoles.Subcellular localization analysis indicated that AaNhaD-GFP fusion proteins were primarily localized in the tonoplasts.Similar to the transgenic BY-2 cells,AaNhaD-overexpressing tobacco plants displayed enhanced stress tolerance when grown in saline-alkali soil.These results indicate that AaNhaD functions as a pH-dependent tonoplast Na+/H+antiporter in plant cells,thus presenting a new avenue for the genetic improvement of salinity/alkalinity tolerance.     

NaCl和Na2CO3胁迫对桑树幼苗生长和光合特性的影响

以1年生“青龙桑”幼苗为试验材料,研究了中性盐(NaCl)和碱性盐(Na2CO3)胁迫下桑树幼苗的生长和叶片光合特性.结果表明:盐胁迫明显降低了桑树幼苗的株高、叶片数、生物量和叶片的光合能力.随着Na+浓度的增加,桑树叶片的气孔导度、蒸腾速率、净光合速率、实际光化学效率、电子传递速率和光化学猝灭系数明显降低,过剩光能以非光化学猝灭形式耗散的比例增加,桑树叶片的光能转化效率和光合能力下降.在Na+浓度＜150 mmol·L-1时,桑树幼苗的光合能力和生长受到的抑制较小,通过增加根冠比进一步适应盐胁迫,但这种保护机制随着盐浓度的增加逐渐降低.在Na2CO3胁迫下,＞50 mmol·L-1 Na+浓度对桑树的生长和光合能力表现出较强的抑制作用,并随Na+浓度的增加,抑制程度加大.在NaCl＜ 150mmol·L-1时,桑树的光合能力主要依赖植株形态和光合代谢双重途径适应中性盐逆境,而在NaC1浓度＞150 mmol·L-1和碱性盐胁迫下,其主要依赖光合代谢来适应逆境.     

NaCl和Na2CO3胁迫对桑树幼苗生长和光合特性的影响

以1年生“青龙桑”幼苗为试验材料,研究了中性盐(NaCl)和碱性盐(Na2CO3)胁迫下桑树幼苗的生长和叶片光合特性.结果表明： 盐胁迫明显降低了桑树幼苗的株高、叶片数、生物量和叶片的光合能力.随着Na+浓度的增加,桑树叶片的气孔导度、蒸腾速率、净光合速率、实际光化学效率、电子传递速率和光化学猝灭系数明显降低,过剩光能以非光化学猝灭形式耗散的比例增加,桑树叶片的光能转化效率和光合能力下降.在Na+浓度＜150 mmol·L-1时,桑树幼苗的光合能力和生长受到的抑制较小,通过增加根冠比进一步适应盐胁迫,但这种保护机制随着盐浓度的增加逐渐降低.在Na2CO3胁迫下,＞50 mmol·L-1Na+浓度对桑树的生长和光合能力表现出较强的抑制作用,并随Na+浓度的增加,抑制程度加大.在NaCl＜150 mmol·L-1时,桑树的光合能力主要依赖植株形态和光合代谢双重途径适应中性盐逆境,而在NaCl浓度＞150 mmol·L-1和碱性盐胁迫下,其主要依赖光合代谢来适应逆境.     

Photosynthesis,chlorophyll fluorescence,inorganic ion and organic acid accumulations of sunflower in responses to salt and salt-alkaline mixed stress

Sunflowers were treated with mixing proportions of NaCl, Na₂SO₄, NaHCO₃, and Na₂CO₃. Effects of salt and saltalkaline mixed stress on growth, photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, and contents of inorganic ions and organic acids of sunflower were compared. The growth of sunflower decreased with increasing salinity. The contents of photosynthetic pigments did not decrease under salt stress, but their contents decreased sharply under salt-alkaline mixed stress. Net photosynthetic rates, stomatal conductance and intercellular CO₂ concentration decreased obviously, with greater reductions under salt-alkaline mixed stress than under salt one. Fluorescence parameters showed no significant differences under salt stress. However, maximal efficiency of PSII photochemistry, photochemical quenching coefficient, electron transport rate, and actual PSII efficiency significantly decreased but non-photochemical quenching increased substantially under salt-alkaline mixed stress. Under salt-alkaline mixed stress, sunflower leaves maintained a low Na⁺- and high K⁺ status; this may be an important feature of sunflower tolerance to salinity. Analysis of the mechanism of ion balance showed that K⁺ but not Na⁺ was the main inorganic cation in sunflower leaves. Our results indicated that the change in organic acid content was opposite to the change of Cl⁻, and the contribution of organic acid to total charge in sunflower leaves under both stresses decreased with increasing salinity. This may be a special adaptive response to stresses for sunflower. Sunflower under stress conditions mainly accumulated inorganic ions instead of synthesizing organic compounds to decrease cell water potential in order to save energy consumption.     

盐、碱胁迫下小冰麦体内的pH及离子平衡

通过混合两种中性盐（NaCl和Na₂SO₄）和两种碱性盐（NaHCO₃和Na₂CO₃）分别模拟出不同强度的盐、碱胁迫条件,对小冰麦苗进行12 d胁迫处理,测定茎叶组织液的pH值及Na⁺、K⁺、Ca²⁺、Cl^-、SO₄^2-、NO₃^-、H₂PO₄-和有机酸等溶质的浓度,以探讨盐、碱两种胁迫下小冰麦体内的pH及离子平衡特点.结果表明：盐、碱胁迫下小冰麦茎叶内的pH值均稳定不变;随胁迫强度的增加,盐胁迫下小冰麦茎叶内有机酸浓度没有明显变化,Cl^-浓度大幅度增加,而碱胁迫下有机酸浓度大幅度增加,Cl^-浓度没有明显变化.盐、碱胁迫下小冰麦茎叶中的阳离子均以Na⁺和K⁺为主,但阴离子的来源明显不同.盐胁迫下无机阴离子对负电荷的贡献起主导作用,其贡献率达61.3%～66.7%;而碱胁迫下,随胁迫强度的增大,有机酸对负离子的贡献率从38.35%上升到61.60%,逐渐成为主导成分.实验结果表明,有机酸积累是小冰麦在碱胁迫下保持体内离子平衡和pH稳定的关键生理响应.     

亚麻响应盐、碱胁迫的生理特征

利用中性盐NaCl、Na₂SO₄和碱性盐NaHCO₃、Na₂CO₃混合模拟不同强度的盐、碱胁迫条件, 对亚麻(Linum usitatissimum)进行14天胁迫处理, 测定其地上部分和根生长速率、光合特征、离子平衡及有机渗透调节物质积累, 以探讨亚麻对盐、碱两种胁迫的生理响应特点。研究表明: 亚麻生长对盐、碱胁迫的响应存在差异, 在相同盐浓度下, 碱胁迫对亚麻的伤害大于盐胁迫。碱胁迫使地上部分中Na⁺浓度急剧增高, 造成叶绿体破坏、光合色素含量下降, 光合能力及碳同化能力也急剧下降。亚麻中Na⁺含量随着胁迫强度的增加而升高, 而K⁺含量呈下降趋势, 碱胁迫下的变化明显大于盐胁迫。因此, 碱胁迫导致Na⁺过度积累可能是碱胁迫对植物伤害大于盐胁迫的最主要原因。碱胁迫下Ca²⁺和Mg²⁺在根中下降明显, 可见高pH值阻碍根对Ca²⁺和Mg²⁺的吸收。Fe²⁺和Zn²⁺对渗透调节的影响不大, 因为它们的离子含量较低。盐胁迫促进阴离子(Cl^-、H₂PO₄^-和SO₄^2-)的积累来平衡大量涌入的Na⁺, 但是碱胁迫明显减少无机阴离子含量, 可能造成严重营养胁迫(如P和S不足)。亚麻在盐胁迫下积累大量可溶性糖来平衡大量的Na⁺, 但碱胁迫下积累大量有机酸来维持细胞内离子平衡和pH值稳定, 碱胁迫大量积累的有机酸也可能被分泌到根外调节根外的pH值, 这说明亚麻对两种不同胁迫的响应方式不同。研究证明高pH值会直接影响植物根系的生长发育, 影响植物矿质元素的吸收, 阻碍离子稳态重建, 有机酸代谢是亚麻碱胁迫下的关键适应机制。     

Interactive effects of salt and alkali stresses on seed germination,germination recovery,and seedling growth of a halophyte Spartina alterniflora (Poaceae)

Soil salinization and alkalinization frequently co-occur in nature, but there is little information on the interactive effects of salt and alkali stresses on plants. Seed germination and early seedling growth are crucial stages for plant establishment. We investigated the interactive effects of salt and alkali stresses on seed germination, germination recovery and seedling growth of a halophyte Spartina alterniflora. Seed germination percentage was not significantly reduced at low salinity (≤ 200 mM) at pH 6.63–9.95, but decreased with increased salinity and pH. Ungerminated seeds germinated well after transfer to distilled water from treatment solutions, indicating that seeds can remain viable in high salt–alkaline habits. Shoot growth was stimulated at low salinity and pH, but decreased with increased salinity and pH. Radicle elongation decreased sharply with increased salinity and pH, and was significantly inhibited when pH ≥ 9.0, indicating that the radicles are very sensitive to salt–alkaline stress. The deleterious effects of salinity or high pH alone were less than when combined. A reciprocal enhancement of salt and alkali stresses is a characteristic feature for salt–alkaline stress. Stepwise regression analysis indicates that salinity is the dominant factor, while pH and buffer capacity are secondary for salt–alkaline mixed stress.     

Eco-physiological responses of linseed (Linum usitatissimum) to salt and alkali stresses

AimsEffects of salt and alkali stresses (NaCl-Na₂SO₄ and NaHCO₃-Na₂CO₃) were compared on growth, photosynthesis characters, ionic balance and osmotic adjustment of linseed (Linum usitatissimum), to elucidate the mechanisms of salt and alkali stress (high pH value) damage to plants, and their physiological adaptive mechanisms to the stresses. MethodsThe experiment was carried out in an artificial greenhouse. Plants grew at approximately 700 mmol·m^-2·s^-1 photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) in greenhouse under photoperiod of 15 h in light and 9 h in dark. In each plastic pot (17 cm diameter) which contained 2.5 kg of washed sand, 20 linseed seeds were sown. The seedlings were exposed to stresses lasting 14 days after 2 months.Important findingsThe inhibitory effects of alkali stress on linseed growth were more remarkable than those of salt stress, indicating that alkali and salt represent two distinct forms of stress. The alkali stress increased the Na⁺ content in shoots, damaged the photosynthetic system, and highly reduced the net photosynthetic rate and C assimilation capacity. Under salinity stress, the Na⁺ content increased, the K⁺ content decreased with increasing stress. Greater changes were observed under alkali than under salt stress. Alkali stress caused the massive influx of Na⁺, which probably explained that the harmful of alkali stress on plants was stronger than that of salt stress. Under alkali stress, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ decreased in roots, showing that high pH value around roots hindered the absorption of them. Fe²⁺ and Zn²⁺ had little effects on the osmotic adjustment, mainly because of they had a low ion content. Under salt stress, anion increased in order to balance the sharp increase of Na⁺. However, alkali stress made severe deficit of negative charge, broke the intracellular ionic balance and pH homeostasis, and caused a series of strain response. Our results showed that linseed enhanced the synthesis of soluble sugars to balance massive influx of Na⁺ under salt stress, but linseed enhanced the synthesis of organic acids to compensate for the shortage of inorganic anions, which might be a key pathway for the pH adjustment. In conclusion, the alkali stress (high pH value) clearly inhibited the growth, element absorption, ion homeostasis reconstruction of plants. Organic acid concentration is possibly a key adaptive factor for linseed to maintain intracellular ion balance and regulate high pH value under alkali stress.     

Identification of NaCl and NaHCO3 stress responsive proteins in tomato roots using iTRAQ-based analysis

Soil salinity and alkalinity are common constraints to crop productivity in low rainfall regions of the world. However, the physiological difference of plant response to these two stresses was short of deep investigation. This study has identified a set of differentially expressed proteins of tomato root exploring to NaCl and NaHCO₃ stress by iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) assay. A total of 313 proteins responsive to NaCl and NaHCO₃ were observed. Among these proteins, 70 and 114 proteins were up-regulated by salt and alkali stress, respectively. While down-regulated proteins were 80 in salt treatment and 83 in alkali treatment. Only 39 up-regulated proteins and 30 down-regulated proteins were shared by salt and alkali stresses. The majority of the down-regulated proteins accounted for metabolism and energy conversion, and the up-regulated proteins were involved in signaling or transport. Compared with salt stress, alkali stress down-regulated proteins related with the respiratory metabolism, fatty acid oxidative metabolism and nitrogenous metabolism of tomato roots, and up-regulated protein with the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and ion transport. This study provides a novel insight into tomato roots response to salt and alkali stress at a large translation level.     

高粱种质材料幼苗期耐盐碱性评价

采用Hoagland营养液砂培法,以NaCl和Na2CO3组成的混合盐碱对高粱幼苗进行胁迫处理,建立高粱幼苗期耐盐碱评价方法,并评价了66份高粱种质材料的耐盐碱性.结果表明:盐浓度在8.0～12.5 g·L-1时,高粱耐盐碱品种‘TS-185’与盐碱敏感品种‘Tx-622B’在幼苗期的耐盐碱性差异明显,表明进行高粱幼苗期耐盐碱性评价时适宜的盐浓度范围为8.0～12.5 g· L-1.在10.0和12.5 g·L-12个盐浓度下,66份高粱种质材料的相对存活率、相对地上部鲜质量和相对株高的差异均达显著水平,表明不同品种的耐盐碱性不同.其中,‘三尺三’为高度耐盐碱品种,‘MN-2735’等16个品种为耐盐碱品种,‘EARLY HONEY’等32个品种为中等耐盐碱品种,‘Tx-622B’等16个品种为盐碱敏感品种,‘MN-4588’为高度盐碱敏感品种.苏丹草类型高粱一般具有较高的耐盐碱性,而保持系对盐碱较为敏感.     

Comparative effects of osmotic-, salt- and alkali stress on growth,photosynthesis, and osmotic adjustment of cotton plants

In this study, cotton seedlings were subjected to osmotic-, salt- and alkali stresses. The growth, photosynthesis, inorganic ions, and organic acids in the stressed seedlings were measured, to compare the mechanisms by which plants adapt to these stresses and attempt to probe the mechanisms by which plants adapt to high pH stress. Our results indicated that, at high stress intensity, both osmotic and alkali stresses showed a stronger injurious effect on growth and photosynthesis than salt stress. Cotton accumulated large amount of Na+ under salt and alkali stresses, but not under osmotic stress. In addition, the reductions of K⁺, NO₃ ⁻, and H₂PO₄ ⁻ under osmotic stress were much greater than those under salt stress with increasing stress intensity. The lack of inorganic ions limited water uptake and was the main reason for the higher injury from osmotic-compared to salt stress on cotton. Compared with salt- and alkali stresses, the most dramatic response to osmotic stress was the accumulation of soluble sugars as the main organic osmolytes. In addition, we found that organic acid metabolism adjustment may play different roles under different types of stress. Under alkali stress, organic acids might play an important role in maintaining ion balance of cotton; however, under osmotic stress, malate might play an important osmotic role.     

Combined effects of long-term salinity and soil drying on growth, water relations, nutrient status and proline accumulation of Sesuvium portulacastrum

The interaction between soil drying and salinity was studied in the perennial halophyte, Sesuvium portulacastrum. Rooted cuttings were individually cultivated for three months in silty-sandy soil under two irrigation modes: 100 and 25% of field capacity (FC). The amount of the evapotranspirated water was replaced by a nutrient solution containing either 0 or 100 mM NaCl. Whole-plant growth, leaf water content, leaf water potential (Psi(w)), and Na+, K+, and proline concentrations in the tissues were measured. When individually applied, both drought and salinity significantly restricted whole-plant growth, with a more marked effect of the former stress. However, the effects of the two stresses were not additive on whole-plant biomass or on leaf expansion. Root growth was more sensitive to salt than to soil drying, the latter being even magnified by the adverse impact of salinity. Leaf water content was significantly reduced following exposure to water-deficit stress, but was less affected in salt-treated plants. When simultaneously submitted to water-deficit stress and salinity, plants displayed higher values of water and potassium use efficiencies, leaf proline and Na+ concentrations, associated with lower leaf water potential (-1.87 MPa), suggesting the ability of S. portulacastrum to use Na+ and proline for osmotic adjustment.     

等渗的盐分和水分胁迫对芦荟幼苗生长和离子分布的效应

 研究了等渗透势（-0.44、-0.88 MPa）NaCl和PEG 6000处理对六叶龄芦荟(Aloe vera)幼苗叶片生长速率、干物质积累、电解质渗漏和离子吸收、分配的效应。结果表明: -0.44、-0.88 MPa NaCl和PEG处理10 d均明显抑制芦荟幼苗叶片伸长生长,植株干物质积累速率显著降低, 叶片含水量降低,叶片细胞电解质渗漏率上升。NaCl对芦荟幼苗生长的抑制作用显著大于PEG处理的。不同器官离子含量、根系和叶片横切面X-射线微区分析结果表明, NaCl胁迫导致芦荟体内Na+、Cl－含量显著上升,根中增幅明显高于叶片,其中Cl－尤为显著。NaCl胁迫严重抑制芦荟对K+ 和Ca2+ 的吸收及其向叶片的运输,根、叶K+/Na+、Ca2+/Na+ 比率显著下降,而PEG胁迫对离子平衡的干扰较轻,是芦荟对水分胁迫的适应能力高于盐胁迫的主要原因之一。但芦荟对 -0.44～-0.88 MPa NaCl胁迫仍有一定的适应能力,主要原因是：1) 根系对离子的选择性吸收和运输较强,并随着盐胁迫强度增加其选择性增强; 2) 芦荟叶片中的盐分在贮水组织中显著积累,明显高于其它组织细胞。同时,芦荟是CAM（景天酸代谢）途径植物,蒸腾极小,盐分随蒸腾流进入地上部的机会小。     

A meta-analysis of arbuscular mycorrhizal effects on plants grown under salt stress

Salt stress limits crop yield and sustainable agriculture in most arid and semiarid regions of the world. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are considered bio-ameliorators of soil salinity tolerance in plants. In evaluating AMF as significant predictors of mycorrhizal ecology, precise quantifiable changes in plant biomass and nutrient uptake under salt stress are crucial factors. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to analyze the magnitude of the effects of AMF inoculation on growth and nutrient uptake of plants under salt stress through meta-analyses. For this, data were compared in the context of mycorrhizal host plant species, plant family and functional group, herbaceous vs. woody plants, annual vs. perennial plants, and the level of salinity across 43 studies. Results indicate that, under saline conditions, AMF inoculation significantly increased total, shoot, and root biomass as well as phosphorous (P), nitrogen (N), and potassium (K) uptake. Activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase also increased significantly in mycorrhizal compared to nonmycorrhizal plants growing under salt stress. In addition, sodium (Na) uptake decreased significantly in mycorrhizal plants, while changes in proline accumulation were not significant. Across most subsets of the data analysis, identities of AMF (Glomus fasciculatum) and host plants (Acacia nilotica, herbs, woody and perennial) were found to be essential in understanding plant responses to salinity stress. For the analyzed dataset, it is concluded that under salt stress, mycorrhizal plants have extensive root traits and mycorrhizal morphological traits which help the uptake of more P and K, together with the enhanced production of antioxidant enzymes resulting in salt stress alleviation and increased plant biomass.     

Synergistic and Antagonistic Effects of Salinity and pH on Germination in Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)

The effects of salt-alkaline mixed stress on switchgrass were investigated by evaluating seed germination and the proline, malondialdehyde (MDA) and soluble sugar contents in three switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) cultivars in order to identify which can be successfully produced on marginal lands affected by salt-alkaline mixed stress. The experimental conditions consisted of four levels of salinity (10, 60, 110 and 160 mM) and four pH levels (7.1, 8.3, 9.5 and 10.7). The effects of salt-alkaline mixed stress with equivalent coupling of the salinity and pH level on the switchgrass were explored via model analyses. Switchgrass was capable of germinating and surviving well in all treatments under low-alkaline pH (pH≤8.3), regardless of the salinity. However, seed germination and seedling growth were sharply reduced at higher pH values in conjunction with salinity. The salinity and pH had synergetic effects on the germination percentage, germination index, plumular length and the soluble sugar and proline contents in switchgrass. However, these two factors exhibited antagonistic effects on the radicular length of switchgrass. The combined effects of salinity and pH and the interactions between them should be considered when evaluating the strength of salt-alkaline mixed stress.     

碱胁迫对羊草和向日葵的影响

以抗盐碱性较强的单子叶植物羊草和双子叶植物向日葵为材料,对其进行中性盐、碱性盐和各种中碱性混合盐等胁迫处理,以日相对生长率(RGR)为主要胁变指标分析各种胁迫的特点及其相互关系.结果表明,碱性盐胁迫与中性盐胁迫实际上是既相关又有本质区别的两种不同胁迫,应该将碱性盐胁迫定义为碱胁迫,而将中性盐胁迫定义为盐胁迫.碱胁迫区别于盐胁迫的关键是高pH值.以缓冲量作为碱胁迫的胁强指标,而以盐度作为盐胁迫的胁强指标较为理想.盐碱混合胁迫时,两种胁迫表现出协同效应.