An inland and a coastal population of the Mediterranean xero-halophyte species Atriplex halimus L. differ in their ability to accumulate proline and glycinebetaine in response to salinity and water stress

Ben Hassine, Abir;Ghanem, Michel Edmond;Bouzid, Sadok;Lutts, Stanley
(2008) Journal of Experimental Botany — Vol. 59, n° 6, p. 1315-1326 (2008)

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  • Ben Hassine, Abir
    Author
  • Ghanem, Michel EdmondUCLouvain
    Author
  • Bouzid, Sadok
    Author
  • Lutts, StanleyUCLouvain
    Author
Abstract
Soil salinity and drought compromise water uptake and lead to osmotic adjustment in xero-halophyte plant species. These important environmental constraints may also have specific effects on plant physiology. Stress-induced accumulation of osmocompatible solutes was analysed in two Tunisian populations of the Mediteranean shrub Atriplex halimus L.-plants originating from a salt-affected coastal site (Monastir) or from a non-saline semi-arid area (Sbikha)-were exposed to nutrient solution containing either low (40 mM) or high (160 mM) doses of NaCl or 15% polyethylene glycol. The low NaCl dose stimulated plant growth in both populations. Plants from Monastir were more resistant to high salinity and exhibited a greater ability to produce glycinebetaine in response to salt stress. Conversely, plants from Sbikha were more resistant to water stress and displayed a higher rate of proline accumulation. Proline accumulated as early as 24 h after stress imposition and such accumulation was reversible. By contrast, glycinebetaine concentration culminated after 10 d of stress and did not decrease after the stress relief. The highest salt resistance of Monastir plants was not due to a lower rate of Na+ absorption; plants from this population exhibited a higher stomatal conductance and a prodigal water-use strategy leading to lower water-use efficiency than plants from Sbikha. Exogenous application of proline (1 mM) improved the level of drought resistance in Monastir plants through a decrease in oxidative stress quantified by the malondialdehyde concentration, while the exogenous application of glycinebetaine improved the salinity resistance of Sbikha plants through a positive effect on photosystem II efficiency.
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Ben Hassine, A., Ghanem, M. E., Bouzid, S., & Lutts, S. (2008). An inland and a coastal population of the Mediterranean xero-halophyte species Atriplex halimus L. differ in their ability to accumulate proline and glycinebetaine in response to salinity and water stress. Journal of Experimental Botany, 59(6), 1315-1326. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/ern040 (Original work published 2008)