Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T00:36:52.861Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Alleviatory effects of calcium on the toxicity of sodium, potassium and magnesium chlorides to seed germination in three non-halophytes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2007

Kazuo Tobe ,
Liping Zhang  and
Kenji Omasa
Kazuo Tobe*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Intellectual Fundamentals for Environmental Studies, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
Liping Zhang
Affiliation:
Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Kenji Omasa
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
*
*Correspondence Fax: +81–298–50–2587 Email: tobe@nies.go.jp
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Saline soils contain numerous salts with varying impact on seed germination. Seeds of three non-halophytic species found in Chinese sandy deserts (Artemisia ordosica, Aristida adscensionis and Bassia dasyphylla) were incubated in salt solutions (NaCl, KCl or MgCl2, each with or without CaCl2) at 20°C in the dark. The effects of each salt on the percentage of seeds from which visibly detectable radicles emerged, and the percentage of seeds with emerging radicles surviving to a length of at least 4 mm, were examined. NaCl, KCl and MgCl2 were toxic to emerging radicles in all three species, but before radicle emergence these salts reduced seed germinability only in A. ordosica. The toxic effects of each salt on the radicles were alleviated in all three species by the addition of low concentrations of CaCl2. MgCl2 was more toxic than NaCl and KCl, and the concentration of CaCl2 needed to alleviate the toxicity of MgCl2 was several times higher than that required for alleviation of NaCl or KCl toxicity. These results suggest that Ca2+ present in saline soils alleviates the toxic effects of other salt components on seed germination, and that the results of germination experiments with a single salt are not always applicable to field conditions.

Keywords

calciumnon-halophytemagnesiumpotassiumsalt toxicityseed germinationsodiumArtemisia ordosicaAristida adscensionisBassia dasyphylla
Type
Research Article
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , March 2003 , pp. 47 - 54
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003

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

Bal, A.R. and Chattopadhyay, N.C. (1985) Effect of NaCl and PEG 6000 on germination and seedling growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Biologia Plantarum 27, 65–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bliss, R.D., Platt-Aloia, K.A. and Thomson, W.W. (1986) The inhibitory effect of NaCl on barley germination. Plant, Cell and Environment 9, 727–733.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cluff, G.J., Evans, R.A. and Young, J.A. (1983) Desert saltgrass seed germination and seedbed ecology. Journal of Range Management 36, 419–422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colmer, T.D., Fan, T.W-M., Higashi, R.M. and Läuchli, A. (1996) Interactive effects of Ca2+ and NaCl salinity on the ionic relations and proline accumulation in the primary root tip of Sorghum bicolor. Physiologia Plantarum 97, 421–424.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cramer, G.R., Läuchli, A. and Polito, V.S. (1985) Displacement of Ca2+ by Na+ from the plasmalemma of root cells. A primary response to salt stress? Plant Physiology 79, 207–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cramer, G.R., Läuchli, A. and Epstein, E. (1986) Effects of NaCl and CaCl2 on ion activities in complex nutrient solutions and root growth of cotton. Plant Physiology 81, 792–797.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamada, A.M. (1994) Alleviation of the adverse effects of NaCl on germination of maize grains by calcium. Biologia Plantarum 36, 623–627.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hardegree, S.P. and Emmerich, W.E. (1990) Partitioning water potential and specific salt effect on seed germination of four grasses. Annals of Botany 66, 587–595.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hosseini, M.K., Powell, A.A. and Bingham, I.J. (2002) Comparison of the seed germination and early seedling growth of soybean in saline conditions. Seed Science Research 12, 165–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katembe, W.J., Ungar, I.A. and Mitchell, J.P. (1998) Effect of salinity on germination and seedling growth of two Atriplex species (Chenopodiaceae). Annals of Botany 82, 167–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kent, L.M. and Läuchli, A. (1985) Germination and seedling growth of cotton: salinity–calcium interactions. Plant, Cell and Environment 8, 155–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kinraide, T.B. (1999) Interactions among Ca2+, Na+ and K+ in salinity toxicity: quantitative resolution of multiple toxic and ameliorative effects. Journal of Experimental Botany 50, 1495–1505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kurth, E., Cramer, G.R., Läuchli, A. and Epstein, E. (1986) Effects of NaCl and CaCl2 on cell enlargement and cell production in cotton roots. Plant Physiology 82, 1102–1106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
LaHaye, P.A. and Epstein, E. (1969) Salt toleration by plants: enhancement with calcium. Science 166, 395–396.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lanzhou Institute of Desert Research. (1985) In Chinese desert flora Vol. 1. (in Chinese). Beijing, Science Press.Google Scholar
Lynch, J., Cramer, G.R. and Läuchli, A. (1987) Salinity reduces membrane-associated calcium in corn root protoplasts. Plant Physiology 83, 390–394.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marcar, N.E. (1986) Effect of calcium on the salinity tolerance of Wimmera ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud., cv. Wimmera) during germination. Plant and Soil 93, 129–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marschner, H. (1995) Mineral nutrition of higher plants (2nd edition). London, Academic Press.Google Scholar
Myers, B.A. and Morgan, W.C. (1989) Germination of the salt-tolerant grass Diplachne fusca. II. Salinity responses. Australian Journal of Botany 37, 239–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Naidoo, G. and Naicker, K. (1992) Seed germination in the coastal halophytes Triglochin bulbosa and Triglochin striata. Aquatic Botany 42, 217–229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pujol, J.A., Calvo, J.F. and Ramírez-Díaz, L. (2000) Recovery of germination from different osmotic conditions by four halophytes from southeastern Spain. Annals of Botany 85, 279–286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Redmann, R.E. (1974) Osmotic and specific ion effects on the germination of alfalfa. Canadian Journal of Botany 52, 803–808.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suhayda, C.G., Redmann, R.E., Harvey, B.L. and Cipywnyk, A.L. (1992) Comparative response of cultivated and wild barley species to salinity stress and calcium supply. Crop Science 32, 154–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tobe, K., Zhang, L. and Omasa, K. (1999) Effects of NaCl on seed germination of five nonhalophytic species from a Chinese desert environment. Seed Science and Technology 27, 851–863.Google Scholar
Tobe, K., Li, X. and Omasa, K. (2002) Effects of sodium, magnesium and calcium salts on seed germination and radicle survival of a halophyte, Kalidium caspicum (Chenopodiaceae). Australian Journal of Botany 50, 163–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ungar, I.A. (1978) Halophyte seed germination. Botanical Review 44, 233–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ungar, I.A. (1995) Seed germination and seed-bank ecology in halophytes. pp. 599–628. in Kigel, J. and Galili, G., (Eds.) Seed development and germination. New York, Marcel Dekker.Google Scholar
Volkmar, K.M., Hu, Y. and Steppuhn, H. (1998) Physiological responses of plants to salinity: A review. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 78, 19–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar