Salinization and alkalization of soil is a widespread environmental problem. The adaptive responses of two oil producing plants, jojoba and sunflower, to salt and alkaline stresses were studied. The increase in NaCl or Na2CO3 level in the culture media was associated with a fall in growth and pigment biosynthesis in the test plants. In addition, the two test plants accumulated Na+ along with a decrease in water content. Moreover, there was strong positive correlation between biomass production of jojoba and sunflower shoots and roots and K+/Na+ selectivity under NaCl or Na2CO3 stress. The uptake of Na+ and K+ by the roots of the test plants was increased while the ion translocation from roots to shoots was generally decreased with increasing NaCl or Na2CO3 concentration in the culture media. The data herein obtained indicate that jojoba plants can be assumed to have more affinity to tolerate NaCl or Na2CO3 stress than sunflower plant.
Key words: Salinity, sodicity, jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), vacuolar compartmentation, K+/Na+ selectivity, uptake, translocation
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