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Salt tolerance of the African haplotype of Phragmites australis (Poaceae)
Author(s) -
Naidoo Gonasageran
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/aje.12876
Subject(s) - salinity , phragmites , transpiration , photosynthesis , stomatal conductance , saline water , biomass (ecology) , poaceae , biology , agronomy , chemistry , botany , ecology , wetland
We determined the effect of salinity on growth of P. australis in glasshouse and field experiments. In the glasshouse, plants were subjected to 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% sea water for 32 weeks. Plant height, biomass and photosynthesis decreased with increase in salinity from 0% to 50% sea water. In the 50% sea water treatment, plant height decreased by 44%, total biomass by 62%, above‐ground biomass by 61% and below‐ground biomass by 62%. CO 2 exchange ranged from 9.07 µmol m −2 s −1 in the control to 1.49 µmol m −2 s −1 in the 50% sea water treatment. In the 50% sea water treatment, leaf conductance, CO 2 exchange and transpiration decreased by 81%, 84% and 78%, respectively, while quantum yield and electron transport rate decreased by 34%, and 20%, respectively. In the field study, leaf conductance, CO 2 exchange and transpiration were higher in the non‐saline site and lower in the saline site by 50%, 46% and 43%, respectively. Quantum yield and electron transport rate were higher in the non‐saline site and reduced in the saline site by 15% and 11%, respectively. The results suggest that although P. australis is tolerant of increasing salinity, growth and productivity are reduced significantly.