Abstract

RUIZ, MÓNICA B.  and  PARERA, CARLOS A.. Effect of Water and Saline Stress on Germination of Atriplex nummularia (Chenopodiaceae). Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2013, vol.18, n.1, pp.99-106. ISSN 0120-548X.

Saline soils, characteristic of arid zones, can affect the germination of the species due to low water potential or ion toxicity. The effect of water and saline stress on germination was evaluated in Atriplex nummularia a potential source of forage for arid zones. The seeds were scarified to reduce the inhibitory effect on germination and incubated in at 23 ºC on germination paper imbibed with solutions of sodium chloride (NaCl) and polyethylen glycol (PEG) at three water potentials: -0,5; -1,0 and -1,5 MPa. The percentage germination and germination speed were significantly affected by the concentration of the solution and the solute used. While more negative osmotic potentials, the percentage of germination and germination speed were significantly lower. The seeds germinated in PEG solution have higher germination and germination speed than the seeds germinated in NaCl, specially in -1,0 MPa. The data suggest that the seeds of A. nummularia show sensitivity to the presence of Na+ and Cl- ions affecting the germination process.

Keywords : Atriplex spp.; germination; stress; salinity.

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