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JOURNAL OF DESERT RESEARCH ›› 2018, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (2): 300-306.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2017.00051

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Effects of Salt-alkaline Mixed Stresses on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Bassia dasyphylla in Desert Region

Li Xin1, Zhao Wenzhi1,2   

  1. 1. College of Forestry, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China;
    2. Linze Inland River Basin Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
  • Received:2017-02-28 Revised:2017-05-03 Online:2018-03-20 Published:2018-03-20

Abstract: Annual plant species are the main component of the vegetation in arid and semi-arid desert regions, with their unique traits as the good candidates for the study of many key bio-ecological issues. This paper studied the response of various salt-alkaline stress on seed germination and growth of annual plant Bassia dasyphylla in desert region. Thirty different salt-alkaline ecological conditions, which evenly covered all the cases within the ranges of 50-250 mmol·L-1 salinity and 7.10-10.19 pH values, were simulated by mixtures of varied proportions of sodium salts of chloride, carbonate, bicarbonate and sulphate. The germination indexes of germination rate, germination speed, germination index, seeding vigor index and growth indices of shoot length, root length, fresh weigh were determined. The results showed that germination indexes and growth indices of treatment group were significantly lower than control group, were both decreased with increasing salinity and pH, and were found significant different (P<0.05) from the negative control group. All of the indexes were also restraining affected by salinity, pH and their interactions (P<0.05). The order of rejection capability of sodium salts of chloride, carbonate, bicarbonate and sulphate was Na2CO3 > NaHCO3 > NaCl > Na2SO4. The effects of the interaction between high alkalinity and salinity are more severe than those of either salt or alkali stress, and such a cooperative interaction results in more sensitive responses of seed germination and seedling growth of B. dasyphylla. Salinity was the dominant factor for seed germination under mixed salt-alkaline stress conditions, and pH changed into the dominant factor for seedling establishment. Further, It was concluded that the mixed salt-alkaline stresses, which differ from either salt or alkali stress, emphasize the significant interaction between salt concentration (salinity) and salt component (alkalinity).

Key words: Bassia dasyphylla, seed germination, seedling growth, salt-alkaline stresses, response

CLC Number: