Abstract: The effect of NaCl stress on ion and water content, membrane permeability, change of proline content and activity of PEPCase were studied in Hordeum brevisubulatum (shortsubulate barley) and Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese spring. The result showed that, membrane permeability, contents of Na⁺ and proline, Na⁺/K⁺, PEPCase activity increased as NaCl concentration was increased, while contents of water and K⁺ decreased; under the same saline condition Na⁺ contents in shoots and roots of shortsubulate barley were less than those of wheat, and K⁺ content in roots of shortsubulate barley was more than that of wheat. These indicated that shortsubulate barley tended to take up less Na⁺ and maintain higher K⁺ in shoots. The increment of proline in shortsubulate barley was less than that in wheat, which showed that osmotic homeostasis in shortsubulate barley was not realized by excess increment of proline under salt stress; and the fact that the activity of PEPCase in shortsubulate barley was higher than that in wheat indicated that the improvement of photosynthetic efficiency is possibly one of the main ways for shortsubulate barley to adapt to salt stress.

Key words: Hordeum brevisubulatum, Halophyte, Glycophyte, Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, Salt tolerance

CLC Number: 

• Q945