Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T12:16:21.542Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The sensitivity of germinating Triticum durum L. kernels to saline environment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2008

L. Petruzzelli ,
M. T. Melillo ,
T. Bleve-Zacheo ,
B. Marano  and
G. Taranto
L. Petruzzelli*
Affiliation:
Istituto del Germoplasma, CNR, via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari
M. T. Melillo
Affiliation:
Istituto di Nematologia, CNR, via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari
T. Bleve-Zacheo
Affiliation:
Istituto di Nematologia, CNR, via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari
B. Marano
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Produzione Vegetale, Universita' della Basilicata, via N. Sauro 85, 85100 Potenza, Italy
G. Taranto
Affiliation:
Istituto del Germoplasma, CNR, via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari
*
* Correspondence
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Osmotic and ionic effects of NaCl were investigated in germinating wheat. Approximately isotonic solutions of NaCl and sorbitol inhibited germination and seedling growth to similar degrees. When dry kernels were pre-imbibed in salt for 24 h and then transferred to water, germination was equivalent to that of kernels imbibed continuously in water and the development of embryos was delayed to about the same extent as kernels pre-imbibed in sorbitol for 24 h. Measurements of water uptake, respiration, biosynthetic activities and rubidium uptake in embryos dissected from grains imbibed in NaCI or sorbitol for the first 24 h demonstrated that salt supplied to dry kernels closely mimicked sorbitol in counteracting the reactivation of embryo metabolism. No toxic effects of salt were observed when dry kernels were pre-imbibed in very high NaCI concentrations for 24 h and then transferred to water, even though embryo sodium contents increased considerably. Ultrastructural observations of embryo tissue further showed that salt influx into dry grains did not produce ion-specific damage in cell organization. On the other hand, salt specific effects became evident when the 24 h salt exposure was applied to kernels pre-hydrated for 24 h and, even more, for 30 h. We conclude that in wheat the inhibition of germination by salt corresponds to that induced by an osmoticum, provided that the caryopsis has not reached the stage of germination associated with active embryo expansion.

Keywords

embryo developmental activitiesgerminationhydrationsaltTriticum durum L.ultrastructure
Type
Research Papers
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , June 1991 , pp. 105 - 111
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aspinall, D. and Paleg, L.G., (1981). Proline accumulation: Physiological aspects. pp 205–241 in Paleg, L.G. and Aspinall, D., (Eds) Physiology and biochemistry of drought resistance in plants. New York, Academic Press.Google Scholar
Bal, A.R. and Chattopadhyay, (1985) Effects of NaCI and PEG 6000 on germination and seedling growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Biologia Plantarum 27, 65–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bewley, J.D. and Black, M., (1982) Physiology and biochemistry of seeds in relation to germination, Vol. 2. Berlin, Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bliss, R.D., Platt-Aloia, K.A. and Thomson, W.W., (1984) Changes in plasmalemma organization in cowpea radicle during imbibition in water and NaCl solutions. Plant, Cell and Environment 7, 601–606.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bliss, R.D., Platt-Aloia, K.A. and Thomson, W.W., (1986a) Osmotic sensitivity in relation to salt sensitivity in germinating barley seeds. Plant, Cell and Environment 9, 721–725.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bliss, R.D., Platt-Aloia, K.A. and Thomson, W.W., (1986b) The inhibitory effect of NaCl on barley germination. Plant, Cell and Environment 9, 727–733.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chabot, J.F. and Leopold, A.C., (1982) Ultrastructural changes of membranes with hydration in soybean seeds. American Journal of Botany 69, 623–663.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cocucci, S., Ranieri, A. and Zocchi, G., (1986) Potassiumdependent increase in RNA and protein synthesis in the early phase of incubation of the thermodormant Phacelia tanacetifolia seeds. Plant Physiology 80, 123–126.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cramer, G.R., Lauchli, A. and Polito, V.S., (1985) Displacement of Ca by Na from the plasmalemma of root cells. A primary response to salt stress. Plant Physiology 79, 207–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gomes Filho, E. and Soder, L., (1988) Effect of salinity on ribonuclease activity of Vigna unguiculata cotyledons during gerrmination. Journal of Plant Physiology 132, 307–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenway, H. and Munns, R., (1980) Mechanisms of salt tolerance in non-halophytes. Annual Review of Plant Physiology 31, 149–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hallam, N.D., (1972) Embryogenesis and germination in rye (Secale cereale L.). 1. Fine structure of the developing embryo. Planta 104, 157–166.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hallam, N.D., Roberts, B.E. and Osborne, D.J., (1972) Embryogenesis and germination in rye (Secale cereale). Biochemical and fine structural changes during germination. Planta 105, 293–301.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hasegawa, P.H., Bressan, R.A. and Handa, A.K., (1986) Cellular mechanisms of salinity tolerance. HortScience 21, 1317–1324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hegarty, T.W., (1978) The physiology of seed hydration and dehydration and the relation between water stress and the control of germination: a review. Plant, Cell and Physiology 1, 101–119.Google Scholar
Helm, K.W., Petersen, N.S. and Abernethy, R.H., (1989) Heat shock response of germinating embryos of wheat. Plant Physiology 90, 598–605.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hodson, M.J., Di Nola, L. and Mayer, A.M., (1987) The effect of changing temperatures during imbibition on ultrastructure in germinating pea embryonic radicles. Journal of Experimental Botany 38, 525–534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klein, S. and Ben-Shaul, Y., (1966) Changes in cell fine structure of lima bean axes during early germination. Canadian Journal of Botany 44, 331–340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lone, M., Kueh, J.S.H., Wyn Jones, R.G. and Bright, S.W.J. (1987) Influence of proline and glycine betaine on salt tolerance of cultured barley embryos. Journal of Experimental Botany 38, 479–490.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maas, E.V. and Grieve, C.M., (1987) Sodium-induced calcium deficiency in salt-stressed corn. Plant, Cell and Environment 10, 559–564.Google Scholar
Maas, E.V. and Nieman, R.H., (1978) Physiology of plant tolerance to salinity. pp 277–299 in Yung, G.A., (Ed.) Crop tolerance to suboptimal land condition. American Society of Agronomy Special Publication. Crop Science Society of America, Madison, USA.Google Scholar
Maas, E.V., Hoffman, G.J., Chaba, G.D., Poss, J.A. and Shannon, M.C., (1983) Salt sensitivity of corn at various growth stages. Irrigation Science 4,45–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maas, E.V., Poss, J.A. and Hoffman, G.J., (1986) Salinity sensitivity of sorghum at three growth stages. Irrigation Science 7, 1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marciniak, B., Bucholc, M. and Buchowicz, J., (1987) Early DNA synthesis during the germination of wheat embryos. Phytochemistry 26, 331–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marinos, N.G. and Fife, D.N., (1972) Ultrastructural changes in wheat embryos during a ‘Presowing drought hardening’ treatment. Protoplasma 74, 381–396.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mayer, A.M. and Poljakoff-Mayber, A., (1982) The germination of seeds, 3rd edn. Oxford, Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Nieman, R.H., Clark, R.A., Pap, D., Ogata, G. and Maas, E.V., (1988) Effects of salt stress on adenine and uridine nucleotide pools, sugar and acid-soluble phosphate in shoots of pepper and safflower. Journal of Experimental Botany 39, 301–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramagopal, S., (1987) Differential mRNA transcription during salinity stress in barley. Proceedings of National Academy of Science USA 84, 94–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Redman, R.E., (1974) Osmotic and specific ion effects on the germination of alfalfa. Canadian Journal of Botany 52, 803–808.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanchez de Jimenez, E. and Aguilar, R., (1984) Protein synthesis patterns. Old and new messenger RNA in germinating maize embryos. Plant Physiology 75, 231–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sargent, J.A., Sen Mandi, S. and Osborne, D.J., (1981) The loss of desiccation tolerance during germination: an ultrastructural and biochemical approach. Protoplasma 105, 225–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schubert, S. and Lauchli, A., (1986) Na+ exclusion, H+ release, growth of two different maize cultivars under NaCI salinity. Journal of Plant Physiology 126, 145–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sen, S. and Osborne, D.J., (1974) Germination of rye embryos following hydration-dehydration treatments: enhancement of protein and RNA synthesis and earlier induction of DNA replication. Journal of Experimental Botany 89, 1010–1019.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vazquez, A. and Vazquez-Ramos, J., (1988) Characteristics of the major DNA polymerases found during early and late maize germination. Canadian Journal of Botany 66, 1186–1191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vasquez-Ramos, J.M. and Osborne, D.J., (1986) Analysis of the DNA synthesised during early germination of rye embryos using BND-cellulose chromatography. Mutation Research 166, 39–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weimberg, R., (1988) Modification of foliar solute concentrations by calcium in two species of wheat stressed with sodium chloride and/or potassium chloride. Physiologia Plantarum 73, 418–425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Younis, A.F. and Hatata, M.A., (1971) Studies on the effects of certain salts on germination, on growth of root and on metabolism. I. Effects of chlorides and sulphates of sodium, potassium and magnesium on germination of wheat grains. Plant and Soil 34, 183–200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar