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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Vegetable Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #330482
Title: Effects of direct and gradual salinity exposure on carrot (Daucus carota L.) seeds and recovery response

Author
item SHIYAB, SAFWAN - University Of Wisconsin
item Simon, Philipp

Submitted to: Academia Journal of Biotechnology (AJB)
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2017
Publication Date: 3/1/2017
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5695437
Citation: Shiyab, S., Simon, P. 2017. Effects of direct and gradual salinity exposure on carrot (Daucus carota L.) seeds and recovery response. Academia Journal of Biotechnology (AJB). 5(3):038-043. doi: 10.15413/ajb.2017.0127.

Interpretive Summary: Salinity in soil or irrigation water suppresses plant growth and threatens agricultural productivity; and in recent decades the levels of salinity in water supplies used to irrigate crops have tended to increase. The effects of salinity on carrot seed germination have not been well-described. We evaluated the ability of two carrot varieties to grow in salty water, and found that increasing salt concentration suppressed carrot seed germination rate and seedling vigor. The sensitivity of carrots to saline conditions is typical to that of most crops. Higher salt concentrations completely suppressed germination, but by moving ungerminated seed to conditions with no added salt, germination ability was restored. These results are of interest to vegetable growers, seed companies, extension vegetable specialists, and climate scientists.

Technical Abstract: Salinity is a major cause of abiotic stress in arid and semi-arid climates that substantially reduces crop yield. This study evaluated the effects of salinity on germination and early seedling growth of two carrot cultivars in vitro under varying salinity levels. Salinity was induced by incorporating up to 150 mM of sodium chloride (NaCl) into the culture media. Seeds were either exposed directly to salinity, by planting on MS media containing salt, or gradually exposed by sequential transfer every four days to higher salt concentrations. Salinity caused significant reductions in all germination parameters (germination percentage, speed, and energy) with elevated salinity level, but growth was less impaired by gradual exposure to salt. The gradual exposure of seedlings to salinity provides an opportunity to study the development of salt tolerance. The viability of seeds of glycophytes failing to germinate when exposed to salinity has not been previously reported. We found that many carrot seeds that failed to germinate on saline media in this study recovered and grew when transferred to salt-free media.