Sporobolus arabicus Boiss. is a perennial stoloniferous grass that prefers a saline or desert habitat. A natural population of Sporobolus arabicus growing in a salty area was compared with a normal nonsaline population. The salt-tolerant population showed better growth than its counterpart. | Turkish Journal of Botany Turk J Bot (2013) 37: 715-724 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Physioanatomical adaptations in response to salt stress in Sporobolus arabicus (Poaceae) from the Salt Range, Pakistan 1, 1 1 1 Mansoor HAMEED *, Tahira NAWAZ , Muhammad ASHRAF , Nargis NAZ , 1 1 2 Riffat BATOOL , Muhammad Sajid Aqeel AHMAD , Atif RIAZ 1 Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan 2 Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan Received: Accepted: Published Online: Printed: Abstract: Sporobolus arabicus Boiss. is a perennial stoloniferous grass that prefers a saline or desert habitat. A natural population of Sporobolus arabicus growing in a salty area was compared with a normal nonsaline population. The salt-tolerant population showed better growth than its counterpart. Physioanatomical adaptations to saline environments in the salt-tolerant population were very specific. They included restricted toxic ion uptake, production of organic osmolytes, sclerification in roots, succulence in stem, and development of vesicular hairs on the leaves. These adaptations were not only for the excretion of toxic ions but also for the accumulation of inorganic ions in the parenchymatous tissue. The Salt Range population maintained osmotic and water potential, accumulated lower amounts of Na+ and Cl– in the roots and shoots, and had higher organic osmolytes, increased sclerification in the roots, and succulence in the stems and leaves. Key words: Ionic content, organic osmolytes, salt excretion, Sporobolus 1. Introduction The ability of a plant to continue to grow in an extreme environment indicates a high degree of salt tolerance (Niknam & McComb, 2000). Generally, populations of different plant species inhabiting saline habitats are well adapted to these habitats, and the extent of their adaptation .
