Transport and accumulation of ions in two spring wheat lines differing in salt tolerance

Fifty-two-day old plants of a salt tolerant line, S24 and a salt sensitive, Yecora Rojo were subjected for 15 days to 125 mol·m−3 NaCl in Hoagland’s nutrient solution under glass-house conditions. The dry matter of shoots and roots of the salt tolerant line was significantly greater over all time intervals in saline substrate than the salt sensitive line, Yecora Rojo. In the leaves of salt-treated former line concentration of Na+ and Cl− was lower as compared to the latter line. The lower Na+ and Cl− concentrations in the leaves of S24 were found to be associated with lower transport of these ions to the shoots whereas the reverse was true for Yecora Rojo. The lines did not differ in accumulation of either ion in roots. It is concluded that salt tolerance in these two genotypes of spring wheat is associated with restricted accumulation of toxic Na+ and Cl− ions to the shoots or with restricted transport.