Selection of a NaCl-tolerant Citrus plant

The objective of the work was to select Citrus plants more tolerant to elevated NaCl concentrations in the irrigation water. For this purpose, unfertilized Troyer citrange ovules treated with a chemical mutagenic agent (ethyl methane sulphonate) were cultured in vitro. Whole plants were regenerated from embryos developed in the nucellar tissue of the ovule. The screening for salt tolerance was achieved by irrigating these plants with a nutrient solution containing 45 mM NaCl.Plants obtained from vegetative propagation of the selected plant show faster growth, less leaf damage and lower concentrations of Cl(-) and Na(+) in leaves than the original clone with increasing NaCl levels in the nutrient solution. In addition, the selected plant accumulated more Na(+) in shoots and roots and this was accompanied by a significant reduction in K(+)concentration. It can be concluded that the selected plant restricts the accumulation of Na(+) in leaves by concentrating Na(+) in shoots and roots.