Responses of the germination and phytochemical content of Pinus nigra Arn. subsp. pallasiana (Lamb.) Holmboe. (Anatolian black pine) seeds to salt stress

Abstract

The germination stage, which is known to be the most sensitive period of plant development, is very sensitive to salt stress. To determine how salt stress affected the germination behaviour of Pinus nigra Arn. subsp. pallasiana (Lamb.) Holmboe, the seeds were germinated at gradually increasing salt concentrations. The detrimental effect of the salt stress increased parallelly to the salt concentration. The morphological and physiological changes were analysed in each application to detect the effect of the increasing salt concentrations on the germination stage, and the results were evaluated. The root and stem length, germination percentage, seed germination vigour index and seed mass decreased with the increasing concentration. The amount of volatile and phenolic compounds increased up to 100 mM of salt concentration, while similar parameters decreased at other salt concentrations. The gradual destruction of the habitats of these plants, which create sustainable living conditions with their ability to adapt to the ever-changing climatic conditions, and the increasing ecological negativities make it challenging for the quality of life and viability of these plants. The study was aimed at defining the responses to salt stress by examining the changes in the germination behaviour and phytochemical content, and the amount of Anatolian black pine seeds with an increasing soil salinity.