Responses of leaf growth and gas exchanges to salt stress during reproductive stage in wild wheat relative Aegilopsgeniculata Roth. and wheat (Triticumdurum Desf.)

• Published in: Acta physiologiae plantarum Vol. 35; no. 5; pp. 1453 - 1461
• Main Authors: Mguis, Khaled, Albouchi, Ali, Abassi, Mejda, Khadhri, Ayda, Ykoubi-Tej, Mbarka, Mahjoub, Asma, Brahim, Nadia Ben, Ouerghi, Zeineb
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 2013
• Subjects: Agriculture; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Life Sciences; Original Paper; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Gas exchanges; Growth; Salinity
• ISSN: 0137-5881; 1861-1664
• DOI: 10.1007/s11738-012-1185-6

In order to investigate the effect of salinity on the growth and photosynthesis of the wild wheat and wheat, three accessions of Aegilops geniculata from Ain Zana, Zaghouan and Sbitla and one variety of durum wheat ( Triticum durum ) were grown in the INRAT greenhouse and treated with different salinity levels. The growth of leaves, water status and gas exchange parameters have been measured at the reproductive stage. The flag leaf length, total leaf dry weight, water status, CO 2 assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO 2 and transpiration for the three Ae. geniculata accessions and wheat variety significantly decreased with increasing salt. The decline in photosynthesis measured in response to salt stress was proportionally greater than the declines in transpiration, resulting in a reduction of water-use efficiency, at both the leaf and whole-plant levels. Among the factors inhibiting photosynthetic activity, those of a stomatal nature had a greater effect. This study has shown a high degree of variation of these characters mainly related to geographical origin. It was observed also that Sbitla accession was less affected by the imposed salt stress than all the others while Ain Zana was the most affected one.