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Pak. J. Bot., 45(2): 383-389, 2013. |
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Updated: 21-03-13 | ||||
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VARIATIONS IN ACCESSIONS OF SUNFLOWER AND SAFFLOWER UNDER STRESS CONDITION
NUSRAT JABEEN* AND RAFIQ AHMAD
Abstract: Two sunflower i.e., Helio & NuSun, and 2 safflower
accessions i.e. Spiny & Non-Spiny differing in salt sensitivity, were
examined for compatible solutes and some enzyme activities involved in
seed germination i.e. α-amylase, β-amylase and α-glucosidase, under
control and different levels of sea salt concentrations i.e. 0, 0.2,
0.4, 0.6 and 0.8% having ECiw = 0.5, 3.4, 6.1, 8.6 and 10.8 dS/m
respectively. The inhibitory effects of salts differed among all the
accessions tested. In Helio and Non-Spiny cultivars the increase in
salt concentration reduced germination percentage and lower relative
water content, and also decreased the endogenous levels of proline,
total soluble sugars and activities of the main enzymes involved in
the germination process. In contrast, seeds of NuSun and Spiny
cultivars accumulated higher proline and total soluble sugar
concentrations in response to salt stress, which improved their water
status and the enzyme activities involved in the process of
germination. Differences in response of the different accessions of
sunflower and safflower to salt stress may be due to the accumulation
of compatible solutes in their seeds. Biosaline Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan *Corresponding author’s e-mail: jabeennusrat@yahoo.com Tel.: +92 21 99261359; +92 300-8957032 |
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