title: Salt Tolerance of Glycinebetaine-Deficient and -Containing Maize Lines.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Horticulture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (D.T.H., W.-J.Y, G.S.P., R.J.J., D.R.).
authors.forename: H.
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saneoka
authors.forename: C.
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nagasaka
authors.forename: D. T.
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.forename: W. J.
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: G. S.
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Premachandra
authors.forename: R. J.
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Joly
authors.forename: D.
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rhodes