Population differentiation within Festuca rubra L. with regard to soil salinity and soil water

Seed and transplanted adult plants from populations of Festuca rubra, collected from inland, salt-marsh and sand-dune sites were grown on culture solution with added sodium chloride. The growth of the populations of the three habitats was reduced differentially by salt. The salt marsh ecotype Festuca rubra ssp. litoralis was only slightly affected and the inland ecotype F. rubra ssp. rubra was severely retarded at 60 mM NaCl. The dune ecotype F. rubra ssp. arenaria had an intermediate tolerance. The tolerant ecotypes accumulated less sodium chloride as compared to the sensitive ecotype, suggesting that salt tolerance is caused in part by salt exclusion.In addition, the dune ecotype F.r. arenaria appeared to be more drought tolerant than the salt marsh ecotype. Abscission of salt-saturated leaves does not function as an adaptation to salinity in Festuca rubra.All three ecotypes accumulated proline with increased salinity. The response was most pronounced in the drought tolerant F.r. arenaria, indicating that proline accumulation is a response to osmotic stress rather than to ion-specific effects of salinity. The observed differences in salt tolerance may be explained by differential sensitivity to toxic effects of sodium chloride.The occurrence on a beach plain of closely adjacent populations of F.r. arenaria and F.r. litoralis, differing markedly in salt tolerance, is briefly discussed.