SALT ACCLIMATION OF TRITICUM-AESTIVUM BY CHOLINE CHLORIDE - PLANT-GROWTH, MINERAL-CONTENT, AND CELL-PERMEABILITY

Seedlings of a salt sensitive line of Triticum aestivum were grown in Hoagland solution supplemented with 100 mM NaCl following a pretreatment with choline chloride (ChCl). Changes in growth, mineral content of roots and shoots, and passive permeability of the cell membrane were measured. Relative growth of ChCl pretreated plants after exposure to NaCl maximized at 0.5 mM ChCl reaching about control values. Mineral content (except Na+ and C1-) was lowered by NaCl treatment. Choline chloride pretreatment at all concentrations decreased cell membrane permeability for urea and methylurea with little effect of a subsequent NaCl treatment. The results suggested that ChCl acclimated the salt sensitive wheat cultivar (with 0.5 mM ChCl the most effective concentration). It is proposed that this acclimation involves two components: (a) modification of the membrane phospholipid composition and structure by the ChCl pretreatment, and (b) enabling of the cell metabolism to function near to normal under saline conditions after ChCl pretreatment