JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2020, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (5): 167-173.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-2006.201907013

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Seed germination and seedling growth responses of invasive alien plant Aegilops tauschii to saline-alkali stress

WANG Ning1(), YUAN Meili2   

  1. 1. College of Forestry,Henan University of Science and Technology,Luoyang 471023,China
    2. The Sui & Tang Dynasties Relics Botanic Garden of Luoyang,Luoyang 471002,China;
  • Received:2019-07-10 Revised:2020-03-09 Online:2020-10-30 Published:2020-10-30

Abstract:

【Objective】Aegilops tauschii Coss. invasion has seriously threatened the security of wheat production in China. In order to forecast the A. tauschii invasion risk, clarify the adaptability of A. tauschii to saline-alkali habitats. 【Method】The stress effects of NaCl and Na2CO3 at different concentrations [0 (CK), 50, 100, 150 and 200 mmol/L] on seed germination and seedling growth of A. tauschii. 【Result】Germination rate, and radicle and embryo lengths decreased continuously with an increase in the saline-alkali concentration. At concentrations of 150 and 100 mmol/L, the germination rate decreased significantly in comparison with CK for the NaCl and Na2CO3 treatments, respectively. None of the A. tauschii seeds germinated at a Na2CO3 concentration of 200 mmol/L. In addition, both the germination rate and seedling growth under Na2CO3 stress were significantly lower than those under NaCl stress at the same treatment concentrations. The proline content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased significantly with an increase in concentration of the saline-alkali treatment solutions. However, the relative electric conductivity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content showed no significant increase at low concentrations of the saline-alkali treatments but increased sharply at high concentrations. This suggests that A. tauschii can adapt biochemically to a certain range of saline-alkali stress through self-regulation. In addition, the values for these biochemical indexes under Na2CO3 stress were significantly higher than under NaCl stress at the same treatment concentrations. 【Conclusion】These results indicate that A. tauschii has a certain physiological ability to adapt to saline-alkali habitats, and the effects of Na2CO3 stress on seed germination and seedling growth were more significant than those of NaCl stress.

Key words: Aegilops tauschii Coss., salt-alkaline stresses, seed germination, seedling growth

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