PJB-2019-748
MORPHOLOGICAL AND SOME STRUCTURAL ADAPTATIONS IN SELECTED DESERT HALOPHYTES UNDER HIGH SALINITY FROM CHOLISTAN DESERT, PAKISTAN.
Muhammad Aamir Wasim
Abstract
A study was conducted to determine the effect of salinity on some grasses viz Cymbopogon jwarancusa (Jones) Schult, Sporobolus ioclados (Nees ex. Trin.), Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers, Panicum antidotale Retz. And Cenchrus ciliaris L. from Cholistan desert. The populations of these grasses from saline habitat were related more salt tolerant. Experiment was conducted in hydroponic system and grasses were grown in saline solution at 100, 200 and 300 mM salt stress. Tolerance to salinity was assessed on the basis of some specific structural modification and morphological characteristics such as length of shoot and root, total leaf area, number of leaf and tillers per plants, internode length, fresh and dry weight of shoot and root. The distinctive structural modifications in selected grass species from Cholistan desert were well developed bulliform cells in leaves, increased density of trichome and vesicular hairs at both leaf surfaces. At root level, salt stress contributed in formation of aerenchyma, increased thickness of endodermis, intensive sclerification in both outer cortex and inner vascular region. In stem thick epidermis and highly increased sclerification outside vascular bundles prevent the water loss. Under harsh saline environment, such structural modifications were very essential for checking undue water loss and to conserved water in limited moisture availability. Out of the five grasses, S. ioclados and C. dactylon were the most salt tolerant species as they were least affected by salinity in terms of various morphological characteristics and some specific structural modification recorded in the present experiment.
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