Influence of Sodium Chloride Salt Stress on Growth and Nutrient Acquisition of Sour Orange In Vitro

Abstract

Growth and nutrient acquisition in sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) were studied under salt stress in vitro. Microshoots were transferred to Murashige and Skoog (MS) solid proliferation media containing 8.9 µM BA (6‐Benzyladenine) and 0.5 µM NAA (naphthaline acetic acid). Salinity was induced by incorporating different concentrations [0.0 (control), 50, 100, 150, 200, or 300 mM] of sodium chloride (NaCl) to the culture media. Microshoots were exposed to direct or gradual salinity shock. Slight reduction was obtained in growth (shoot length, shoot number, leaf number, and dry weight) when microshoots were directly exposed to NaCl stress from 0.0 to 150 mM. At 200 and 300 mM NaCl, growth parameters were adversly affected and microshoots died thereafter. Gradual NaCl shock was studied by transferring microshoots sequentialy every week to different NaCl concentraions (0.0, 50, 100, 150, 200, or 300 mM). Growth was monitored at each concentration until the end of the last week of incubation at 300 mM NaCl. Growth (shoot length, shoot number or leaf number, and dry weight) generally decreased with elevated salinity level, but was less impaired than the direct shock. The percentage of shoot content of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and iron (Fe) in the direct Nail shock experiment were reduced with elevated salinity level. This reduction was less in the gradual shock treatments. Sodium Chloride level strongly reduced Fe acquisition under both direct and gradual salinity stress. Tissue contents of sodium (Na), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) were increased with the imposed salinity treatments in both experiments.

Acknowledgments

Authors would like to thank Deanship of Research at Jordan University of Science and Technology for funding this study, Project #233/99.