PHYSIOLOGICAL-BASIS OF DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE TO SALINITY IN RICE CULTIVARS

Growth analyses of rice Oryza sativa L. seedlings in salinized nutrient solution condition were conducted with 24 cultivars and lines after genetic purification. Cultivar differences in relative growth rate in salinized conditions were chiefly dependent on differences in shoot Na content. The shoot Na content was affected by Na selectivity in the root and by the leaf area ratio (LAR, leaf area per total dry weight). The contribution of LAR was equally important to that of root cultivar selectivity against Na uptake under a higher salinization condition where root selectivity against Na may be decreased due to reduced root activity. Cultivar differences in salt tolerance in highly salinized conditions were mainly attributed to differences in these two factors. A more convenient and efficient screening method for salt tolerance is proposed. © 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.