Ecophysiology of Pennisetum clandestinum: a valuable salt tolerant grass

High concentrations of sodium are toxic to most plant species, making soil salinity a major abiotic stress for plant productivity world-wide. Its salinity resistance makes the turf grass Pennisetum clandestinum Hochst (kikuyu grass) a candidate plant for utilization and reclamation of salinized areas. Kikuyu grass, a perennial native to the highlands of Central Africa now common in many areas, has recently become a valuable pasture and lawn plant because of its growth rate and well developed root system. However, its salt resistance has yet to be fully evaluated. The objective of this study was to identify the biochemical and physiological basis of salt resistance of kikuyu grass for the use of this grass as pasture, in phytoremediation, in controlling soil erosion and in biomass production for energy, in salt affected lands, where the growth of other species is markedly reduced. This study focused on the effect of salinity on germination, growth, metabolism, biochemistry, nutritive properties and root morphology of kikuyu grass. We compile evidence that kikuyu grass can germinate and grow in salinized areas. The use of this salt-tolerant grass may be an important part of a range of practices, such as recycling saline wastewater and reclaiming salt-affected soil in arid-zone irrigation districts.     

Effects of temperature on growth of Vallisneria americana in a sub-tropical estuarine environment

The submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) species Vallisneria americana Michx. (tape grass) is a valuable resource in the Caloosahatchee estuary and in many other aquatic systems. Given the variable nature of freshwater inflows and environmental conditions in the Caloosahatchee, it is necessary to understand how tape grass will respond to high and low salinity conditions at different light and temperature levels. Specifically, quantitative information is needed as input to modeling tools that can be applied to predict growth and survival of tape grass under a range of environmental conditions present in the estuary. We determined growth rates for small and medium sized tape grass plants obtained from the Caloosahatchee estuary, southwest coastal Florida, USA in freshwater (0.5 psu) under high (331 μE m^?2 s^?1) and low light (42 μE m^?2 s^?1) and at 10 psu under high light conditions. We ran six treatments at five temperatures spanning 13–32 °C for 8–9 weeks. The optimum temperature for growth was roughly 28 °C, with a minimum threshold temperature of 13 °C and a maximum threshold temperature of 38 °C. Plants grew fastest in freshwater, at high light and temperatures greater than 20 °C. The slowest growth rates were observed at 13 °C regardless of salinity, light or plant size. Our results suggest that tape grass growth is strongly influenced by water temperature and that additional stressors such as low light and elevated salinity can reduce the range of temperature tolerance, especially at colder water temperatures.     

Interactions between a salt marsh native perennial (Salicornia virginica) and an exotic annual (Polypogon monspeliensis) under varied salinity and hydroperiod

An exotic grass invades salt marshes of southern California in very wet years and where there are sewage spills or urban runoff. A series of growth-chamber, mesocosm, and greenhouse experiments explored whether soil salinity and/or waterlogging could explain invasion patterns. In all experiments, salinity significantly affected the growth and distribution of Polypogon monspeliensis (rabbit-foot grass, an exotic annual grass) and Salicornia virginica (pickleweed, a native perennial succulent). High salinities caused a greater reduction in seed germination rates for P. monspeliensis than for S. virginica, indicating that high salinity limits establishment and the spread of this exotic grass. At Tijuana Estuary, fresh water inputs to tidal mesocosms lowered soil salinities, increased cover of P. monspeliensis, and decreased cover of S. virginica. Polypogon monspeliensis outcompeted S. virginica under all salinity and hydrology treatments in the greenhouse experiment. Seasonally-low soil salinities caused by winter runoff and anthropogenic fresh water inputs are the likely factors controlling annual variations in the distribution of P. monspeliensis in southern California salt marshes. Our understanding of the causes of invasion is readily applicable to management: local invasions may be reversed by adding salt, and larger scale problems could be avoided by reinstating more natural hydrologic regimes.     

Response to long- and short-term salinity in populations of the C4 nonhalophyte Andropogon glomeratus Walter B.S.P.

Summary This research was undertaken to investigate differences in salt tolerance under conditions in which salinity is increased gradually and maintained for long periods or increased rapidly and maintained for shorter periods. The responses of populations of a C₄ nonhalophytic grass, Andropogon glomeratus, to long- and short-term salinity were measured under controlled environment conditions. Additionally, plants from a salt marsh population and an inland population were transplanted into a salt marsh and their survival compared. The relative growth reductions in the salt marsh and the inland populations under long-term salinity were similar. Survival of seedlings of 4 populations inundated with full-strength seawater over a relatively short period indicated differential capacities to tolerate soil salinities imposed in a manner similar to tidal inundation in a salt marsh. The greater survival of plants from the marsh population transplanted into the salt marsh further indicated genetic differentiation between the populations. These results indicate that genetic differentiation to salt tolerance in A. glomeratus is better reflected by survival after shortterm salinity events, rather than growth inhibition due to long-term salinity imposed gradually.     

Responses of grass pea seedlings to salinity stress in in vitro culture conditions

Physiological and molecular mechanisms of adaptation to abiotic stresses of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) are still poorly understood. Responses of four genotypes of grass pea to salinity stress in tissue culture conditions were investigated at early seedling growth stages. Salinity stress was induced in the agar media by adding 0, 50, 100 and 200 mM of NaCl. Germination and seedling emergence percentage was not significantly affected by 50 and 100 mM of NaCl. However, NaCl in 200 mM concentration lowered level of these parameters. Generally, exposure to NaCl stress significantly reduced length of grass pea seedling organs (root and shoot) but did not influence the content of dry weight in shoots and increased it in the roots in two cases. Increasing salt concentration decreased integrity of cellular membranes both in root and shoot tissues. Higher accumulation of phenolic compounds and significant changes in activity of antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase and catalase) were observed in the roots but not in the shoots. Similarly, the content of proline increased mostly in the roots from moderate (100 mM) salinity conditions. Adverse conditions did not resulted in alterations in photosynthetic pigments content of any tested genotypes. The better performance of shoots than roots may result from in vitro conditions in which experiments were conducted.

     

Food, density, and microhabitat: factors affecting growth and recruitment potential of juvenile saltmarsh fishes

The relationships among microhabitat use, food habits, conspecific density and recent growth rate for estuarine-dependent juvenile spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, and red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, were studied to determine how nursery habitat influences early growth. Juvenile spotted seatrout and red drum were quantified along the marsh-edge ecotone from multiple drop samples, and their immediate environments characterized by a suite of physical and chemical variables along with substrate type and Spartina stem density. Recent daily growth of individual fish was modeled in a series of multiple regression analyses that considered the relative contributions of food, microhabitat, and conspecific density. The spotted seatrout model (p < 0.0001) included four independent variables, otolith radius, prey diversity, salinity, and a salinity-DO interaction term, and explained 67.9% of the variation in daily growth. All variables were significant (p < 0.05), and regression slopes were positive for all variables except salinity. The red drum model (p > 0.0001) included five independent variables, otolith radius, temperature, salinity, depth and substrate, and explained 63.3% of the variation in daily growth. All variables were significant (p > 0.05), and all regression slopes were positive. Fish size (as estimated by otolith radius) accounted for most of the variance in the spotted seatrout (60.2%) and red drum (44.8%) models, while the remaining environmental variables were significant and responsible for 7.7 and 18.5%, respectively. Density variables were not selected for either model, suggesting that density-dependence was not an important influence on recent daily growth. Generally, physico-chemical variables such as temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen contributed more to growth than diet or extrinsic factors such as grass stem density.     

Effects of salinity,N-nutrition and humidity on photosynthesis and protein metabolism ofChloris gayana Kunth

Summary Under high atmospheric humidity, Rhodes grass plants responded favourably to an increase in nitrate fertilization. Under low atmospheric humidity an optimum point was reached at lower N-treatment.Plants' growth was improved by a salinity treatment of up to 100 mM, at high atmospheric humidity. A higher salt concentration cancelled the favourable effect of added nitrate.The rise in yield which follows salt or nitrate treatments is apparently combined with an increase in activity of the key photosynthetic enzymes, Phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase and Ribulose biphosphate carboxylase. A similar rise in activity is seen in nitrate reductase, a key enzyme in nitrogen metabolism. Evidently, all three enzymatic systems are not damaged in high salt treatments, and the potential photosynthetic capacity remained practically uneffected in all treatments. As no correlation could be found between transpiration and growth curves, it is assumed that the supply of CO₂ is also unhampered. Thus, the major negative effect of salinity, seems to be on protein synthesis, which eventually leads to disturbed growth.Agricultural Research Organization. The Volcanic Center.     

沙漠地区盐水灌溉对牧草产量及品质的影响

在以色列南部内盖夫沙漠农业实验站 ,采用较为先进的双管重叠水喷灌系统 ,研究了不同浓度盐水灌溉下狗牙根 (CynodondactylonL .) 6个品种的 (Suwannee、Coastcross、Tifton4 4、Tifton6 8、Tifton78、Tifton85 )牧草产量、粗蛋白、灰分、纤维素含量的变化 ,同时 ,采用较为先进的瘤胃胃液消化法分析了不同盐水灌溉的牧草干草在山羊体内的消化率 .结果表明 ,在Eci小于 10ds·m-1条件下 ,6个狗牙根品种维持较高产草量 ,尤其是Eci=4 .4ds·m-1,Coastcross、Suwannee、Tifton4 4、Tifton6 8、Tifton78和Tifton85的产量分别较淡水 (Eci=1.2 )灌溉的产量增加了 14 1%、6 1.1%、136 %、12 1.2 %、2 0 2 .3%和 10 9.7% ,干物质产量也随灌溉水盐浓度增加而提高 ,而牧草纤维素含量无明显增加 .饲养及消化实验表明 ,盐水灌溉的干草更为山羊喜食 ,干草消化率也随灌溉水盐浓度增加而增加 ,表明适当浓度的盐水灌溉不仅不会引起牧草产量下降 ,而且可提高牧草品质和喜食性 ,在农业和牧业上具有重要应用前景     

Effects of Nitrogen and Salinity on Growth and Competition Between a Native Grass and an Invasive Congener

Numerous studies show that an increase in the availability of limiting resources can increase invasion by non-native plants into natural communities. One possible explanation is that the ability of natives to compete with non-natives tends to decrease when resource availability is increased. We tested this hypothesis in a competition experiment using two closely matched plant species and two environmental factors related to limiting resources in a coastal grassland system on Bodega Head in northern California. We grew the native grass Bromus carinatus and the non-native grass B. diandrus together and apart at different levels of soil nitrogen crossed with different levels of soil salinity. Both species are abundant in the grassland and previous work suggested that the abundance of B. carinatus is lower and the abundance of B. diandrus is higher on soil that has been enriched with nitrogen. Salinity has been shown to be negatively associated with invasion by B. diandrus into another California grassland, and to vary significantly over short distances in the grassland at Bodega Head, where it could affect water availability, which strongly limits plant growth during the dry season. Contrary to our prediction that low resource availabilities would increase the relative competitive ability of the native, the ability of B. carinatus to compete with B. diandrus was not greater when nitrogen availability was lower or when soil salinity was higher. Instead, high salinity increased the relative competitive ability of the non-native, and low nitrogen had little effect on competition. This suggests that preventing resource enrichment will not suffice to control invasion by non-native plant species in this grassland.     

Physiological and Metabolic Effects of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid for Mitigating Salinity Stress in Creeping Bentgrass

The objectives of this study were to determine whether foliar application of a chlorophyll precursor, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), could mitigate salinity stress damages in perennial grass species by regulating photosynthetic activities, ion content, antioxidant metabolism, or metabolite accumulation. A salinity-sensitive perennial grass species, creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera), was irrigated daily with 200 mM NaCl for 28 d, which were foliar sprayed with water or ALA (0.5 mg L⁻¹) weekly during the experiment in growth chamber. Foliar application of ALA was effective in mitigating physiological damage resulting from salinity stress, as manifested by increased turf quality, shoot growth rate, leaf relative water content, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate. Foliar application of ALA also alleviated membrane damages, as shown by lower membrane electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation, which was associated with increases in the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Leaf content of Na⁺ was reduced and the ratio of K⁺/Na⁺ was increased with ALA application under salinity stress. The positive effects of ALA for salinity tolerance were also associated with the accumulation of organic acids (α-ketoglutaric acid, succinic acid, and malic acid), amino acids (alanine, 5-oxoproline, aspartic acid, and γ -aminobutyric acid), and sugars (glucose, fructose, galactose, lyxose, allose, xylose, sucrose, and maltose). ALA-mitigation of physiological damages by salinity could be due to suppression of Na⁺ accumulation and enhanced physiological and metabolic activities related to photosynthesis, respiration, osmotic regulation, and antioxidant defense.     

Can differences in salinity tolerance explain the distribution of four genetically distinct lineages of Phragmites australis in the Mississippi River Delta?

In the Mississippi River Delta, the common wetland grass, Phragmites australis, displays high genetic diversity, as several genetically distinct populations are co-occurring. Differences in salinity tolerance may be an important factor determining these populations’ distribution in the delta. Our study investigated the salt tolerance of four genotypes exposed to 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 ppt salinity. The growth rate, biomass, and the light-saturated photosynthetic rate were stimulated at 10 ppt salinity and inhibited at salinities higher than 20 ppt, compared to controls. Increased concentrations of Cl^? and Na⁺ were found in the roots and older leaves of plants exposed to high salinities. Salt tolerance levels differed between genotypes. High salinity tolerance was mainly achieved by reduced water uptake and vacuole compartmentalization of toxic ions. The most tolerant genotype sustained biomass and photosynthesis even at 40 ppt, whereas the most sensitive genotype did not survive salinities higher than 20 ppt. Our findings show that the observed occurrence of different genotypes in the Mississippi River Delta is correlated to genetically determined differences in salinity tolerance. Further investigations are needed to better understand the role that salinity tolerance plays in the invasion of certain introduced P. australis genotypes.     

Stress tolerance in the marsh plant Spartina patens: Impact of NaCl on growth and root plasma membrane lipid composition

The C‐4 salt marsh grass, Spartina patens , thrives in the upper portion of the marsh where soil salinities may be equal to coastal seawater. Spartina patens was grown in hydroponic culture in a greenhouse at 0, 340, and 510 m M NaCl, and measured for growth, tissue cation content, and root plasma membrane (PM) lipid composition. From 0 to 340 and 510 m M , the shoot growth decreased, but root growth was not affected. The Na⁺ content increased in both shoots and roots when plants were grown in salt, while the shoots had a decreased K⁺ content and the roots had a decreased Ca²⁺ content. Spartina patens root plasma membrane was isolated with an aqueous polymer two‐phase system. The purity of the plasma membrane was verified with cytochemical tests on membrane enzyme markers. Plasma membrane lipids were stable relative to the membrane protein content. Molar percentages of sterols (including free sterols) and phospholipid decreased with increasing salinity. However, glycolipid showed a statistically significant increase in the total lipid as salinity in the medium was increased from 0 to 510 m M . Even at a salinity of 510 m M , the plasma membrane sterol/phospholipid ratio was unaffected by NaCl. When the plants were grown in NaCl media, the plasma membrane had a decreased phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) content, but the PC/PE ratios were not affected. The plasma membrane molar percentage of sitosterol in total free sterol increased when plants were grown in salt media. The predominant membrane fatty acids were C11 and C14, and the major unsaturated one was C14:1. An increase in growth medium salinity resulted in a decreased root plasma membrane fluidity.     

Brief migration of the grass puffer, Takifugu niphobles, to fresh water from salt water

The grass puffer, Takifugu niphobles, is a peripheral freshwater fish often seen in brackish water. In the Sai River, Miyazu, Japan, we found that the grass puffer migrate to fresh water from salt water in June and July. Most of the grass puffer stayed in fresh water for 3.6 h on average and returned to the sea during the day. A low salinity tolerance experiment indicated that the grass puffer can live in fresh water for 2 days but not for longer than 4 days. Based on these findings, we discuss the physiological effects and ecological implications of the migration.     

Identification of differentially expressed salt-responsive proteins in roots of two perennial grass species contrasting in salinity tolerance

This study was designed to identify physiological responses and differential proteomic responses to salinity stress in roots of a salt-tolerant grass species, seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum), and a salt-sensitive grass species, centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides). Plants of both species were exposed to salinity stress by watering the soil with 300 mM NaCl solution for 20 d in a growth chamber. The 2-DE analysis revealed that the abundance of 8 protein spots significantly increased and 14 significantly decreased in seashore paspalum, while 19 and 16 protein spots exhibited increase and decrease in abundance in centipedegrass, respectively. Eight protein spots that exhibited enhanced abundance in seashore paspalum under salinity stress were subjected to mass spectrometry analysis. Seven protein spots were successfully identified, they are peroxidase (POD, 2.36-fold), cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase (cMDH, 5.84-fold), asorbate peroxidase (APX, 4.03-fold), two mitochondrial ATPSδ chain (2.26-fold and 4.78-fold), hypothetical protein LOC100274119 (5.01-fold) and flavoprotein wrbA (2.20-fold), respectively. Immunblotting analysis indicated that POD and ATPSδ chain were significantly up-regulated in seashore paspalum at 20 d of salinity treatment while almost no expression in both control and salt treatment of centipedegrass. These results indicated that the superior salinity tolerance in seashore paspalum, compared to centipedegrass, could be associated with a high abundance of proteins involved in ROS detoxification and energy metabolism.     

Food consumption, growth and survival of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella Val at four salinities

Grass carp were raised in 227-1 indoor tanks at 3,5,7 and 9%osalinities and 18·5 and 29·5°C temperatures at a density of five fish per tank. Growth rate did not differ under these conditions. Food consumption was similar between temperatures at a given salinity but differed among the salinities with most food intake at the 5%o salinity. An average of 40% of grass carp survived for 180 or more days.     

克隆整合对无芒雀麦在异质性盐分环境中存活和生长的影响

无芒雀麦是浑善达克沙地植物群落中占优势的多年生根茎禾草.研究了克隆整合特性对无芒雀麦在异质性盐分环境中存活和生长的影响.结果表明,克隆整合显著提高了无芒雀麦分株在高盐环境中的存活能力,耗-益分析表明无芒雀麦在高盐斑块中分株的生物量、分株数、根茎节数和根茎总长显著受益于克隆整合,而与之相连的非盐分斑块中的分株却没有产生显著的损耗.因而,克隆整合特性是无芒雀麦对异质性环境形成的重要适应对策,它使无芒雀麦能够扩展到不适合植物生长的高盐分斑块中,从而增加了无芒雀麦在浑善达克沙地中的存活和生长,提高了其在半干旱沙化地区的适合度.     

Influence of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacterial Inoculation on Wheat Productivity Under Soil Salinity Stress

Soil salinity affects the growth and yield of crops. The stress of soil salinity on plants can be mitigated by inoculation of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPR). The influence of PGPR inoculation on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop productivity under salinity stress has not been properly addressed so far. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effects of various PGPR strains (W14, W10 and 6K; alone and combined) at several growth attributes of wheat plant under different soil salinity gradients (3, 6 and 9 dS m-1). The growth attributes of wheat (height, roots, shoots, spikes, grains quality, biological and economical yield, nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in grains) were highly affected by salinity and decreased with increasing salinity level. The PGPR inoculation substantially promoted growth attributes of wheat and prominent results were observed in W14 × W10 × 6K treatment at all salinity levels. The results suggest that inoculation of PGPR is a potential strategy to mitigate salinity stress for improving wheat growth and yield.     

Evolution of growth by genetic accommodation in Icelandic freshwater stickleback

Classical Darwinian adaptation to a change in environment can ensue when selection favours beneficial genetic variation. How plastic trait responses to new conditions affect this process depends on how plasticity reveals to selection the influence of genotype on phenotype. Genetic accommodation theory predicts that evolutionary rate may sharply increase when a new environment induces plastic responses and selects on sufficient genetic variation in those responses to produce an immediate evolutionary response, but natural examples are rare. In Iceland, marine threespine stickleback that have colonized freshwater habitats have evolved more rapid individual growth. Heritable variation in growth is greater for marine full-siblings reared at low versus high salinity, and genetic variation exists in plastic growth responses to low salinity. In fish from recently founded freshwater populations reared at low salinity, the plastic response was strongly correlated with growth. Plasticity and growth were not correlated in full-siblings reared at high salinity nor in marine fish at either salinity. In well-adapted lake populations, rapid growth evolved jointly with stronger plastic responses to low salinity and the persistence of strong plastic responses indicates that growth is not genetically assimilated. Thus, beneficial plastic growth responses to low salinity have both guided and evolved along with rapid growth as stickleback adapted to freshwater.