Effect of sodium chloride stress on Rosa plants growing in vitro

After the optimum in vitro media for regeneration and rooting were established for the rootstocks Rosa chinensis 'Major' and R. rubiginosa as well as the cultivars 'Kardinal' and 'Kiss' of R. hybrida, the effects of sodium chloride (NaCl) on their growth were investigated. Damage on the leaves and wilting of the plants in vitro were observed 14 days after the beginning of treatment with 5, 10, 20 and 30 mM NaCl. R. hybrida 'Kiss' was more tolerant to increasing NaCl concentrations in comparison with R. hybrida 'Kardinal'. Increasing the concentration of NaCl in the medium led to a higher accumulation of chlorine and sodium in the leaves of the tested genotypes. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.