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. 2020 Dec 1;15(12):1832373.
doi: 10.1080/15592324.2020.1832373. Epub 2020 Oct 19.

Effects of salt concentration, pH, and their interaction on plant growth, nutrient uptake, and photochemistry of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) leaves

Guo Kaiwen  1 , Xu Zisong  1 , Huo Yuze  1 , Sun Qi  1 , Wang Yue  2 , Che Yanhui  2 , Wang Jiechen  2 , Li Wei  1 , Zhang Huihui  1   2
Affiliations

Effects of salt concentration, pH, and their interaction on plant growth, nutrient uptake, and photochemistry of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) leaves

Guo Kaiwen et al. Plant Signal Behav. .

Abstract

In order to explore the main limiting factors affecting the growth and physiological function of alfalfa under salt and alkali stress, the effect of the salt and alkali stress on the growth and physiological function of alfalfa was studied. The results showed that effects of the excessive salt concentration (100 and 200 mM) on the growth and physiological characteristics were significantly greater than that of pH (7.0 and 9.0). Under 100 mM salt stress, there was no significant difference in the growth and photosynthetic function between pH 9.0 and pH 7.0. Under the 200 mM salt concentration the absorption of Na+ by alfalfa treated at the pH 9.0 did not increase significantly compared with absorption at the pH 7.0. However, the higher pH directly reduced the root activity, leaf's water content, and N-P-K content also decreased significantly. The PSII and PSI activities decreased with increasing the salt concentration, especially the damage degree of PSI. Although the photoinhibition of PSII was not significant, PSII donor and electron transfer from the QA to QB of the PSII receptor sides was inhibited. In a word, alfalfa showed relatively strong salt tolerance capacity, at the 100 mM salt concentration, even when the pH reached 9.0. Thus, the effect on the growth and photosynthetic function was not significant. However, at 200 mM salt concentration, pH 9.0 treatment caused damage to root system and the photosynthetic function in leaves of alfalfa was seriously injured.

Keywords: Salt and alkali stress; alfalfa; photochemistry activity; photoinhibition; plant growth.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Effects of salt concentration and pH on aboveground fresh weight (a), underground fresh weight (b), aboveground biomass (c), underground biomass (d), aboveground water content (e), and root activity (f)in alfalfa
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Effects of the salt concentration and pH on aboveground N (a), underground N (b), aboveground P (c) and underground P (d), aboveground K (e), underground K (f), aboveground Na (g), and underground Na (h) contents in the alfalfa
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Effects of the salt concentration and the pH on OJIP curve (a), MR820 curve (b), Fv/Fm (c), and ΔI/Io (d) content in alfalfa
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Effects of the salt concentration and the pH on VO-P and ΔVO-P curve (a, b), VO-J and ΔVO-J curve (c, d), VJ (e), and VK (f) content in alfalfa
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This research was supported by ‘Young Talents’ Project of Northeast Agricultural University [18QC12] and The National Natural Science Fund [31901088].
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