DRY-MATTER PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF MINERAL IONS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE PLANT IN HEXAPLOID TRITICALE UNDER SALT STRESS CONDITIONS

Effects of saline irrigation on the dry matter production and mineral ions distribution in different parts of the plant in two cultivars of hexaploid triticale, Welsh and Currency, were investigated in the glasshouse irrigated with sodium chloride solutions at concentrations of 0, 25, and 50 mM. Comparison of dry matter production in the grains between the two cultivars suggested that Currency was more salt-tolerant than Welsh. Reduction of dry matter in the leaves and culm of the treated plants was more or less similar in the two cultivars. Dry matter of husks in Welsh was reduced more than that in Currency although roots showed opposite result. Sodium and chloride concentrations in all parts of the treated plants were in general increased in both cultivars. The increasing tendency of these ions in all parts of the plant in Welsh was higher than in Currency, except in the roots. Roots in treated plants of Currency showed more or less similar concentration of sodium and higher concentration of chloride compare to those in Welsh. It is, therefore, suggested that quantitative accumulation of sodium and chloride in some parts of the plant is related to the salt tolerance of hexaploid triticale cultivars. Potassium accumulation was increased in all parts of the treated plants in both cultivars except in the culm, which showed a decreasing accumulation. The tendencies of calcium and magnesium accumulation were different between two cultivars and among different parts of the plant. Therefore, the roles of these three ions in relation to salt tolerance were not clear.