title: Effect of salinity on moisture content, pigment system, and lipid composition in Ephedra alata Decne.
abstract: The present work was carried out to uncover the effect of salinity stress on shoot moisture percentage, pigment content and lipid composition of Ephedra alata Decne. The results suggested that salinity caused significant decrease in plant moisture content. The chl. a, b and carotenoids showed significant decrease with increasing concentration of salt. Total pigment content also showed decline at all salt stress levels. Salt stress caused significant decrease in total lipids (TL), triacylglycerol (TG) and sterol (S) accompanied with an increase in diacylglycerol (DG), sterol ester (SE), and non-esterified fatty acids (FAA) of E. alata. Moreover, saline stress caused significant decrease in all phospholipid fractions except phosphatidic acid which increases during salt stress. Salinity stress resulted in increase of saturated fatty acids and decreases the percentage of un-saturated fatty acids in E. alalta.
authors.affiliation: King Saud University Plant Production Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences P. O. Box 2460 Riyadh 11451 Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alqarawi
authors.affiliation: King Saud University Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science Riyadh 11451 Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abeer
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hashem
authors.affiliation: King Saud University Plant Production Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences P. O. Box 2460 Riyadh 11451 Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: E F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Abd Allah
authors.affiliation: King Saud University Plant Production Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences P. O. Box 2460 Riyadh 11451 Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Alshahrani
authors.affiliation: King Saud University Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science Riyadh 11451 Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Asma A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Huqail
mesh_terms: D029789:Ephedra / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000378:metabolism*; D054712:Salinity; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D010743:Phospholipids; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D014867:Water
keywords: E. alata; Salinity; lipids; moisture; pigments