Salt Tolerance of Glycinebetaine-Deficient and -Containing Maize Lines.
Pairs of homozygous near-isogenic glycinebetaine-containing (Bet1/Bet1) and -deficient (bet1/bet1) F8 lines of Zea mays L. (maize) were tested for differences in salt (150 mM NaCl or 127.25 mM NaCl plus 22.5 mM CaCl2) tolerance. The Bet1/Bet1 lines exhibited less shoot growth inhibition (as measured by dry matter accumulation, leaf area expansion rate and/or, plant height extension rate) under salinized conditions in comparison to their nearisogenic bet1/bet1 sister lines. These growth differences were associated with maintenance of a significantly higher leaf relative water content, a higher rate of carbon assimilation, and a greater turgor in Bet1/Bet1 lines than in bet1/bet1 lines under salinized conditions. These results strongly suggest that a single gene conferring glycinebetaine accumulation (and/or a tightly linked locus) plays a key role in osmotic adjustment in maize.
Saneoka
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Department of Horticulture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (D.T.H., W.-J.Y, G.S.P., R.J.J., D.R.).
Nagasaka
C.
C
Hahn
D. T.
DT
Yang
W. J.
WJ
Premachandra
G. S.
GS
Joly
R. J.
RJ
Rhodes
D.
D