Khan, H.A. and Siddique, K.H.M. and Colmer, T.D.
(2016)
Vegetative and reproductive growth of salt-stressed chickpea
are carbon-limited: sucrose infusion at the reproductive
stage improves salt tolerance.
Journal of Experimental Botany.
pp. 1-11.
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Abstract
Reproductive processes of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) are particularly sensitive to salinity. We tested whether limited
photoassimilate availability contributes to reproductive failure in salt-stressed chickpea. Rupali, a salt-sensitive
genotype, was grown in aerated nutrient solution, either with non-saline (control) or 30 mM NaCl treatment. At flowering,
stems were either infused with sucrose solution (0.44 M), water only or maintained without any infusion, for 75
d. The sucrose and water infusion treatments of non-saline plants had no effect on growth or yield, but photosynthesis
declined in response to sucrose infusion. Salt stress reduced photosynthesis, decreased tissue sugars by 22–47%,
and vegetative and reproductive growth were severely impaired. Sucrose infusion of salt-treated plants increased
total sugars in stems, leaves and developing pods, to levels similar to those of non-saline plants. In salt-stressed
plants, sucrose infusion increased dry mass (2.6-fold), pod numbers (3.8-fold), seed numbers (6.5-fold) and seed yield
(10.4-fold), yet vegetative growth and reproductive failure were not rescued completely by sucrose infusion. Sucrose
infusion partly rescued reproductive failure in chickpea by increasing vegetative growth enabling more flower production
and by providing sucrose for pod and seed growth. We conclude that insufficient assimilate availability limits yield in salt-stressed chickpea.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), flowering, photosynthate supply and demand, photosynthesis, plant sucrose infusion,
podding, salinity stress, seed growth, tissue ions, tissue sugars |
| Author Affiliation: |
School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley WA 6009, Australia |
| Subjects: |
Plant Production |
| Divisions: |
Chickpea |
| Depositing User: |
Mr T L Gautham
|
| Date Deposited: |
04 Nov 2016 03:53 |
| Last Modified: |
04 Nov 2016 03:53 |
| URI: |
http://eprints.icrisat.ac.in/id/eprint/14488 |
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