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Interactive effects of salinity and potassium availability on growth, water status, and ionic composition of Hordeum maritimum
Author(s) -
Hafsi Chokri,
Lakhdhar Abdelbasset,
Rabhi Mokded,
Debez Ahmed,
Abdelly Chedly,
Ouerghi Zeineb
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of plant nutrition and soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1522-2624
pISSN - 1436-8730
DOI - 10.1002/jpln.200625203
Subject(s) - salinity , potassium , shoot , hordeum , chemistry , nutrient , hordeum vulgare , composition (language) , dry matter , agronomy , botany , horticulture , poaceae , biology , ecology , linguistics , philosophy , organic chemistry
The interactive effects of salinity and potassium (K + ) availability on biomass production, water status, and ionic composition were investigated in Hordeum maritimum , an annual grass growing natively on saline soils. Plants were grown for 7 weeks on Hewitt nutrient solution supplied with NaCl (0, 100, 150, 200, and 300 mM) combined with low (0.232 mM) or high (5.8 mM) K + levels. Independent of potassium availability, dry matter of both roots and shoots decreased consistently with increasing NaCl levels in the culture medium, in association with a significant reduction of the shoot water content. This salt‐induced growth reduction did not result from a restriction of K + nutrition, since H. maritimum expressed similar growth under both low and high K + supply. NaCl decreased shoot K + concentrations. This effect was more pronounced in plants grown at high K + supply than in plants grown at low K + supply. This result suggests that the absorption systems were strongly selective for K + , and that this selectivity was enhanced by salt.