Open Access
ARTICLE
Physiological and Biochemical Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance in Carex morrowii Boott
Aysegul Akpinar*
Department of Park and Horticulture, Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, 16059, Turkey
* Corresponding Author: Aysegul Akpinar. Email:
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Abiotic and Biotic Stress Tolerance in Crop)
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2023, 92(7), 2197-2210. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2023.029006
Received 23 January 2023; Accepted 22 March 2023; Issue published 29 May 2023
Abstract
Carex species are widely used in many parts of the world and contain a large number of ecologically diverse
species. Among the Carex species, some of them are known to be glycophytes, while others are halophytes.
Carex morrowii Boott (Cyperaceae) is resistant to trample through their root structure and has an essential ornamental
value in the landscape with their leaves. However, no information was found about the level of salinity tolerance/
sensitivity of the
Carex morrowii among these species. In the present study, changes in trace element contents
(Na, K, Ca, Cu, Mn, Mg, Ni, Fe, P, Zn, and N) and their transport from roots to leaves, osmotic regulation,
alterations in chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, nitrogen assimilation (nitrate reductase activity; NRA) and
total soluble protein content in both roots and leaves of
Carex morrowii under different salinity concentrations
(50 mM, 100 mM, 200 mM and 300 mM NaCl) were examined in detail. Our study provides the first detailed data
concerning the responses of leaves and roots and the determination of the level of salinity tolerance/sensitivity of
the
Carex morrowii. The K+
/Na+ ratio was preserved up to 200 mM NaCl, and accordingly, the element uptake
and transport ratios showed that they could control moderate NaCl levels. Ca homeostasis that is maintained even
in 200 mM NaCl concentration can be effective in maintaining the structural integrity and selective permeability
of the cell membranes, while 300 mM NaCl concentration caused decreased photosynthetic pigments, and
deterioration in element content and compartmentation. Moreover, these data suggest that plant parts of
Carex morrowii respond differently against varied levels of salinity stress. Although the decrease in NR activity at
200 mM and 300 mM NaCl concentrations in the leaves, NR activity was maintained in the roots. Consequently,
Carex morrowii is moderately tolerant to salinity and the carotenoid content and osmotic regulation of
Carex morrowii appears to be instrumental in its survival at different salinity levels. Especially the roots of
Carex morrowii have a remarkable role in salinity tolerance.
Keywords
Cite This Article
Akpinar, A. (2023). Physiological and Biochemical Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance in
Carex morrowii Boott.
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, 92(7), 2197–2210.