Variability of the Effects of Salinity on Reproductive Capacity of Arabidopsis Thaliana

Abstract

For this study, the diversity of some effects of salinity on rosette growth, seed production, and seed viability in Arabidopsis thaliana was explored. Plants from 5 accessions (“ecotypes”) were grown on a sand-peat mixture irrigated with nutritive medium. At the emergence of inflorescence axis, 35 mM NaCl was added to the solution. Several morphological parameters of the rosette were measured at the beginning of silique opening, irrigation was interrupted and the substrate was allowed to dry. The siliques and the mature seeds were harvested, and assayed for K⁺, Na⁺ and Cl⁻. Seeds were sown on pure water and germination kinetics were determined. There was a large inter-ecotype variability of the effect of salt on the rosette growth and on all factors contribution to reproduction (number of inflorescence axes, number of flower per axis, flower fertility, and seed viability). Among the five ecotypes, those with highest levels of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ in the silique valves produced the less viable seeds. This comparison, (i) suggests that salt accumulation in the former organs has detrimental effect on seed maturation, and (ii) indicates that there is a natural variability for control of ion transport to fruits in A. thaliana.

Keywords:

• A. thaliana
• Salinity
• Seed production
• Seed viability
• Ion accumulation

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Comité Mixte de Coopération Universitaire between Tunisia and France (network 02F/0924).