Effects of external NaCl on the growth of Atriplex amnicola and the ion relations and carbohydrate status of the leaves

Abstract Atriplex amnicola, was grown in nutrient solution cultures with concentrations of NaCl up to 750 mol m^?3. The growth optimum was at 25–50 mol m^?3 NaCl and growth was 10–15% of that value at 750 mol m^?3 NaCl. Sodium chloride at 200 mol m^?3 and higher reduced the rate of leaf extension and increased the time taken for a leaf to reach its maximal length. Concentrations of Na⁺, K⁺ and Mg²⁺ in leaves of different ages were investigated for plants grown at 25, 200 and 400 mol m^?3 NaCl. Although leaves of plants grown at 200 and 400 mol m^?3 NaCl had high Na⁺ concentrations at young developmental stages, much of this Na⁺ was located in the salt bladders. Leaves excluding bladders had low Na⁺ concentrations when young, but very high in Na⁺ when old. In contrast to Na⁺, K⁺ concentrations were similar in bladders and leaves excluding bladders. Concentrations of K⁺ were higher in the rapidly expanding than in the old leaves. At 400 mol m^?3 NaCl, the K⁺:Na⁺ ratios of the leaves excluding bladders were 0.4–0.6 and 0.1 for rapidly expanding and oldest leaves, respectively. The Na⁺ content in moles per leaf, excluding bladders, increased linearly with the age of the leaves; concurrent increases in succulence were closely correlated with the Na ⁺ concentration in the leaves excluding the bladders. Soluble sugars and starch in leaves, stems and buds were determined at dusk and dawn. There was a pronounced diurnal fluctation in concentrations of carbohydrates. During the night, most plant parts showed large decreases in starch and sugar. Concentrations of carbohydrates in most plant organs were similar for plants grown at 25 and 400 mol m^?3 NaCl. One notable exception was buds at dusk, where sugar and starch concentrations were 30–35% less in plants grown at 400 mol m^?3 NaCl than in plants grown at 25 mol m^?3 NaCl. The data indicate that the growth of A. amnicola at 400 mol m^?3 NaCl is not limited by the availability of photosynthate in the plant as a whole. However, there could have been a growth limitation due to inadequate organic solutes for osmotic regulation.     

Na^＋ and Water Uptake in Relation to the Radial Reflection Coefficient of Root in Arrowleaf Saltbush Under Salt Stress

The response of halophyte arrowleaf saltbush (Atriplex triangularis Willd) plants to a gradient of salt stress were investigated with hydroponically cultured seedlings. Under salt stress, both the Na+ uptake into root xylem and negative pressures in xylem vessels increased with the elevation of salinity (up to 500 mol/m3) in the root environment. However, the increment in negative pressures in root xylem far from matches the decrease in the osmotic potential of the root bathing solutions, even when the osmotic potential of xylem sap is taken into consideration. The total water potential of xylem sap in arrowleaf saltbush roots was close to the osmotic potential of root bathing solutions when the salt stress was low, but a progressively increased gap between the water potential of xylem sap and the osmotic potential of root bathing solutions was observed when the salinity in the root environment was enhanced. The maximum gap was 1.4 MPa at a salinity level of 500 mol/m3 without apparent dehydration of the tested plants. This discrepancy could not be explained with the current theories in plant physiology. The radial reflection coefficient of root in arrowleaf saltbush decreased with the enhanced salt stress was and accompanied by an increase in the Na+ uptake into xylem sap. However, the relative Na+ in xylem exudates based on the corresponding NaCl concentration in the root bathing solutions showed a tendency of decrease. The results showed that the reduction in the radial reflection coefficient of roots in the arrowleaf saltbush did not lead to a mass influx of NaCl into xylem when the radial reflection coefficient of the root was considerably small; and that arrowleaf saltbush could use small xylem pressures to counterbalance the salt stresses, either with the uptake of large amounts of salt, or with the development of xylem pressures dangerously negative. This strategy could be one of the mechanisms behind the high resistance of arrowleaf saltbush plants to salt stress.     

The effect of ingesting a saltbush and barley ration on the carcass and eating quality of sheepmeat

Forage halophytes such as saltbush (Atriplex spp.) are widely used to revegetate Australian saline land and can provide a medium-quality fodder source. An animal house experiment was conducted to investigate differences in the carcass and eating quality of sheep ingesting saltbush from saline land in combination with a barley supplement. Twenty-six merino hoggets (two groups of 13) were fed either a 60 : 40 dried saltbush (Atriplex nummularia): barley (S + B) ration or a 33 : 25 : 42 lupins : barley : oaten hay ration (C) for 10 weeks prior to commercial slaughter. After 10 weeks, all sheep were commercially slaughtered and a single loin (from 12th rib to chump) collected from each animal for taste-panel analysis. Carcass weight, total tissue depth over the 12th rib 110 mm from the midline (GR fat depth), ultimate pH and colour were determined and X-ray bone densitometry used to estimate the fat content of the carcass. Blood samples were taken to assess the hormonal response to ingesting these diets and fatty acid profiles of the subcutaneous and intramuscular fat were determined. Both groups grew at the same rate (62 g/day) and had similar hot carcass weights (P > 0.01) (17.2 ± 0.3 kg for S + B and 17.9 ± 0.3 kg for C). However, these live weights may not be high enough to be commercially viable such that saltbush and barley may only be suitable as a maintenance feed. The S + B-fed sheep had a significantly (P = 0.055) lower fat and higher lean content (P < 0.05) than the C group. This is a positive finding as fat denudation is a significant cost to processors and farmers can produce sheep that are depositing less fat or more lean per unit of live-weight gain. The decreased fat and increased lean content were attributed to the higher protein : energy ratio available for production and lower circulating insulin and higher growth hormone of the S + B-fed sheep. The lower body-fat content and lower metabolisable energy and digestible organic matter intake did correlate with the sheep fed the S + B diet, having a significantly lower percentage of unsaturated fat and equal levels of saturated fat than the C treatment. Diet had no effect on the ultimate pH or colour of the meat. Treatment had no significant effect on any of the eating-quality attributes (P > 0.1). The drying of the saltbush, the shorter length of the experimental period and the low carcass fat content were believed to have contributed to this result. Further field experiments are needed to clarify the benefits to carcass and eating quality of ingesting saltbush.     

cDNAs induced by ozone from Atriplex canescens (saltbush) and their response to sulfur dioxide and water-deficit

Ozone effects on plant water relations have been reported to be similar to those of water-deficit. The objective was to identify ozone-inducible (OI) clones from Atriplex canescens (saltbush) and determine if they were also responsive to water-deficit as well as SO₂. cDNA clones derived from four different polyA RNAs which accumulate in 8-month-old shrub leaves exposed to ozone (0.2 μl I⁻¹, 6 h day⁻¹, 7 days) were isolated by differential screening, analyzed by northern blots, sequenced, and gene product homologies with other plant genes were determined. Clone OI12A-3 has homology with wound-inducible proteinase inhibitors, whereas clone OI8–3 protein is homologous to thiol proteases. Clones OI2–2 and OI14–3 putatively code for glycine-rich proteins with repeated motifs (Gly-Gly-Gly-Tyr-Gly-His)_n and putative cell-wall-targeting signal peptides. Clone OI2–2 and particularly clone OI14–3 were also induced by both SO₂ and water-deficit. These data indicate that woody plant genes associated with cell wall protein production and whose expression is induced by several stress factors may be responding to common oxidative stress pathways.     

Planted saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) and its value for birds in farming landscapes of the South Australian Murray Mallee

Summary In the fragmented agricultural landscapes of temperate southern Australia, broad‐scale revegetation is underway to address multiple natural resource management issues. In particular, commercially‐driven fodder shrub plantings are increasingly being established on non‐saline land to fill the summer‐autumn feed gap in grazing systems. Little is known of the contribution that these and other planted woody perennial systems make to biodiversity conservation in multifunctional landscapes. In order to address this knowledge gap, a study was conducted in the southern Murray Mallee region of South Australia. Selected ecological indicators, including plant and bird communities, were sampled in spring 2008 and autumn 2009 in five planted saltbush sites and nearby areas of remnant vegetation and improved pasture. In general, remnant vegetation sites had higher biodiversity values than saltbush and pasture sites. Saltbush sites contained a diverse range of plants and birds, including a number of threatened bird species not found in adjacent pasture sites. Plant and bird communities showed significant variation across saltbush, pasture and remnant treatments and significant differences between seasons. This study demonstrates that saltbush plantings can provide at least partial habitat for some native biota within a highly modified agricultural landscape. Further research is being conducted on the way in which biota, such as birds, use available resources in these dynamic ecosystems. An examination of the effects of grazing on biodiversity in saltbush would improve the ability of landholders and regional natural resource management agencies in making informed land management decisions.     

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilization for some Atriplex Plants Grown on Metal-contaminated Soils

There is little information available about the impact of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on the uptake of metals by Atriplex plants. A series of pots experiments were conducted to define the metals uptake response of four Atriplex species to urea (U) and superphosphate (SP) fertilization. The studied Atriplex species were river saltbush (Atriplex amnicola), wavy saltbush (Atriplex undulata), quail saltbush (Atriplex lentiformis), and old man saltbush (Atriplex nummularia). The growth and metals uptake of Atriplex species were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by the fertilizer treatments. U reduced the soil pH by 10% compared to the control. SP reduced the availability of Zn, Pb, and Cd by 24, 16, and 28% compared to the control. U increased the shoots Zn and Pb by 16 and 20% compared to SP. The combined application of U+SP reduced the Zn and Pb concentrations in the shoots by 10 and 13% compared to U alone. U increased the root-to-shoot transfer of Zn and Pb by about 30 and 49%. Root phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) limit the translocation of metals to the Atriplex shoots and this may be by the precipitation of the metals in the roots. The study clearly showed that it is feasible to apply P fertilizer to alleviate root-to-shoot transfer of Zn and Pb. Moreover, pure N application should be avoided to minimize the occurrence of high levels of Zn and Pb in the Atriplex shoots.     

Genetic structure of Atriplex halimus populations in the Mediterranean Basin

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The saltbush Atriplex halimus is a chenopodiaceous plant well adapted to dry saline habitats and widely distributed in the Mediterranean Basin. A study was carried out to analyse the genetic diversity of A. halimus at the level of the Mediterranean Basin. METHODS: To assess the intra- and interpopulational variation of A. halimus a total of 51 populations and six plants per populations was analysed with the RAPD-PCR technique. For the study of the phylogeny of the populations, 21 samples of A. halimus and seven samples of other species of Atriplex were analysed by the sequencing of the ITS (internal transcribed spacer) region of the ribosomal DNA. KEY RESULTS: The AMOVA analysis of the RAPD results showed that populations were divided into two discrete genetic groups, as the variation among groups accounted for 54.36 % of the total variance of the collection. At the same time, the intrapopulational diversity was high, as 301 out of 306 plants analysed constituted an individual RAPD haplotype. The sequencing of the ITS region also showed a significant separation of the two genetic groups, with a genetic distance of 0.023 nucleotide substitutions per site. Using A. breweri, A. canescens, A. glauca and A. prostrata as outgroups in the phylogenetic analysis, A. breweri and A. canescens are the species closest to A. halimus from this group, while A. prostrata is the most distant. CONCLUSIONS: The present work indicates that two genetic groups of A. halimus can be distinguished after analysing the genetic diversity of 51 populations from ten countries in the Mediterranean Basin.     

等渗盐分与水分胁迫对三角叶滨藜和玉米光合作用的影响

以溶液培养的三角叶滨藜(Atriplex triangularis)和玉米(Zeamays)为材料,测定了等渗的盐分和水分胁迫对2种植物光合作用的短期影响。结果表明:等渗的水分和盐分胁迫均会造成三角叶滨藜和玉米净光合速率(Pn)的降低,而且随着胁迫程度的增强,水分胁迫引起Pn下降的幅度要明显高于等渗的盐分胁迫;在较低渗透胁迫强度下,2种胁迫导致光合速率下降的主要原因是气孔限制;但在环境溶液渗透势为-1.0MPa时,水分胁迫对光合作用的影响逐渐转化成非气孔限制,而盐胁迫仍然是气孔限制起主要作用;由此可见,等渗透势的水分胁迫对2种植物光合系统的影响要明显大于盐分胁迫。