Effect of Sodium Chloride Salinity on



Growth and Ion Accumulation in Some



Halophytes



V. P. S. Shekhawat and A. Kumar



Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University



of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India



K. H. Neumann



Institut fu¨ r Pflanzenerna¨hrung, Abt.Gewebe Kultur, IFZ,



Giessen, Germany



Abstract:

Effects of salinity on biomass production, water content, and ion accumulation

pattern in

Atriplex amnicola P. G. Wilson, Atriplex calotheca L., Atriplex

hortensis

L., Chenopodium album L., Salsola kali L., and Suaeda nudiflora Moq.

(all Chenopodiaceae) have been studied. The plants survived and exhibited no



toxicity symptoms up to 6000 mg L

21 NaCl treatment. Ion composition was variable

in plants grown under different salinity treatments. Salinity, except in

Suaeda

nudiflora

where the least biomass was produced in control, affected all other species

negatively, and they produced the least biomass at high salinity treatment. Shoot



water content of

Suaeda nudiflora and Chenopodium album increased significantly

in response to salinity. Among all the species examined here, maximum sodium



(Na

þ) accumulation was recorded for Suaeda nudiflora, and it increased with the

increasing salinity. This study concluded that among all the species tested,

Suaeda

nudiflora

was most suitable plant for bioremediation of salt-contaminated soils.

Acknowledgement: Support form DAAD and Humboldt Foundation  for this investigation to Professor Dr Neumann and Professor Ashwani Kumar is gratefully acknowledged.