Under drought conditions NaCl improves the nutritional status of the xerophyte Zygophyllum xanthoxylum but not of the glycophyte Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Zygophyllum xanthoxylum is a salt‐accumulating xerophytic species with excellent adaptability to adverse environments. Previous studies demonstrated that Z. xanthoxylum absorbs a great quantity of Na+ as an osmoregulatory substance under arid conditions. To investigate the nutritional status of Z. xanthoxylum in comparison with a typical glycophyte, Arabidopsis thaliana, seedlings were exposed to NaCl (50 mM for Z. xanthoxylum and 5 mM for A. thaliana), osmotic stress (–0.5 MPa), and osmotic stress combined with the NaCl treatment. Compared to the control, NaCl treatment or osmotic stress significantly increased Na+ concentration in leaves and roots of Z. xanthoxylum, but not of A. thaliana. Under osmotic stress, the addition of NaCl significantly increased Na+ concentration in leaves and roots of Z. xanthoxylum, resulting in improved biomass and tissue water content. However, such changes were not observed in A. thaliana. Compared to the control, K+ concentrations in leaves and roots remained unchanged in Z. xanthoxylum when exposed to osmotic stress, with or without additional 50 mM NaCl. In contrast, significant reductions in shoot K+ concentrations of A. thaliana were observed under osmotic stress alone or when combined with 5 mM NaCl. Moreover, NaCl alone or when combined with osmotic stress enhanced the accumulation of N, P, Fe, Si, Ca2+, and Mg2+ in Z. xanthoxylum, but did not cause such nutritional changes in A. thaliana. Compared to the glycophyte A. thaliana, Z. xanthoxylum could accumulate Na+ and maintain the stability of nutritional status at a relatively constant level to cope with drought stress.

High concentrations of sodium and chloride ions have opposing effects on the growth of the xerophyte Pugionium cornutum under saline conditions

“…K + , Na + , Ca 2+ , and Mg 2+ were extracted from dried plant tissues in 100 mM acetic acid (Sangon, Shanghai, China) at 90°C for 2 h ( Wang et al, 2019), and then the K + , Na + and Ca 2+ concentrations were determined using a flame spectrophotometer (Model 410 Flame; Sherwood Scientific, Ltd., Cambridge, UK) ( Wang et al, 2004), and the Mg 2+ concentration was determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS, AA‐670, Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) ( Wang et al, 2019). The Cl − , H 2 , , and in the oven‐dried tissues were extracted with deionized water at 100°C for 2 h, and then Cl − , H 2 , and were assessed by ion chromatography (ICS 2000, DIONEX, Sunnyvale, USA) ( Yang et al., 2008), and was detected by a colorimetric method using a UV spectrophotometer as described by Drechsler et al.…”

The preventive impact of vermicompost on bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) salinity resistance: An evaluation

“…Majority of the cultivated plants consist of glycophyte species, which are comparatively sensitive to this particular parameter (Wang et al, 2019). Furthermore, such property is highly accurate for bell peppers or Capsicum annuum L., which is otherwise one of the primarily ingested fruits globally (Erel et al, 2020).…”

Special Organic Fertilizer for Improving Soil Fertilization and Xerophyte Haloxylon ammodendron Growth in the Nursery and Afforestation in Desert Regions of China

“…Our research further demonstrated that 50 mM NaCl could alleviate the deleterious impacts on the growth of SX Zygophyllum xanthoxylum under drought stress Ma et al 2012;Nan et al 2016). In addition, the addition of Na + could also promote the uptake of the important nutrients in Z. xanthoxylum, such as Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , nitrate (N), and phosphate (P), which contributes to stimulating growth of Z. xanthoxylum and alleviating the deleterious effect of osmotic stresses (Ma et al 2016;Wang et al 2019). Soils in arid regions are deficient in mineral nutrients; however, the SX species can absorb and harness nutrients especially Na + to enhance drought resistance; therefore, adding appropriate Na + in the soil may contribute to enhancing drought tolerance and accelerate the development of desert SX species.…”