Poster: Salinity

Abs # 110: Interaction between salt tolerant Salsola inermis and Pistacia lentiscus

Presenter:	Golan, Avi , avigolan@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
Authors	Golan, Avi  (A)   Barazani, Oz  (A)
Affiliations:	(A): Ben Gurion University Of the Negev

Growth of Salosla inermis is inhibited in the vicinity of the evergreen Pistacia lentiscus but not around deciduous P. atlantica and P. chinensis. This observation at the Pistacia spp. germplasm collection in Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Israel, was studied in this project. In vitro bioassays did not reveal allelopathic effect. Moreover, germination of S. inermis seeds on filter paper moistened with P. lentiscus-soil-filtrate was twice as high as that in filtrate of soil near deciduous trees. Nevertheless, fresh and dry weights of mature S. inermis growing next to P. atlantica and P. chinenis was 2.9 to 4.8 times higher than that of plants growing in the vicinity of P. lentiscus. Conductivity measurements indicated that soil salinity beneath deciduous Pistacia trees (16.5-17.5 mS) was higher than that measured below P. lentiscus (2.5 mS). It is therefore proposed that high soil salinity inhibits germination of S. inermis and salt depletion in the vicinity of P. lentiscus inhibits its development after germination. In a hydroponic experiment, young seedlings of P. lentiscus grew for a month with the addition of NaCl at 50 mM and 100 mM without showing stress symptoms. There was no significant difference, in stomatal conductance, between plants growing in control and salt treatments, although a decline was measured at 100 mM. P. lentiscus was shown to be salt tolerant/accumulator, traits which contribute to its wide distribution in saline environments along the Mediterranean coast. The molecular mechanism of salt tolerance in P. lentiscus is under study.