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Linking salinity stress tolerance with tissue-specific Na(+) sequestration in wheat roots
Honghong Wu1, Lana Shabala1, Xiaohui Liu2
1Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, School of Land and Food, University of Tasmania Hobart, TAS, Australia.
Frontiers in Plant Science
|March 10, 2015
Summary
Salinity tolerance in wheat depends on where sodium is stored in roots. Tolerant varieties sequester sodium in vacuoles of mature root zones, while root tips act as salt sensors.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Agronomy
Background:
- Salinity stress tolerance is a complex trait influenced by multiple interacting mechanisms.
- Vacuolar sodium (Na+) sequestration is crucial for differentiating salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant species.
- Tissue-specific regulation of Na+ transporters is vital but often overlooked.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of vacuolar Na+ sequestration in different root tissues of bread wheat under salinity stress.
- To correlate tissue-specific Na+ sequestration with overall salinity stress tolerance in wheat varieties.
- To understand the function of root meristem cells in salt tolerance.
Main Methods:
- Six bread wheat varieties (3 tolerant, 3 sensitive) were used.
- Seedlings were treated with 100 mM NaCl for 3 days.
- Na+ distribution between cytosol and vacuole in root tissues was quantified using CoroNa Green fluorescent dye imaging.
Main Results:
- Salinity tolerance positively correlated with vacuolar Na+ sequestration in the mature root zone, but not the root apex.
- Cytosolic Na+ was higher in tolerant than sensitive root meristems, with opposite vacuolar trends, suggesting a 'salt sensor' role.
- No significant difference in vacuolar Na+ sequestration was observed in transition or elongation zones.
- The elongation zone showed the highest overall Na+ accumulation, crucial for osmotic adjustment and growth.
Conclusions:
- Vacuolar Na+ sequestration is essential for salinity tolerance, but its effectiveness is tissue-specific in wheat roots.
- Root meristem cells may function as critical 'salt sensors' in wheat's response to salinity.
- Understanding tissue-specific Na+ dynamics is vital for developing salt-tolerant wheat varieties through plant breeding.
Keywords:
Na+ distributionbread wheatcytosolic Na+root zonessalinity stress tolerancevacuolar Na+ sequestrationMore Related Videos
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