SALT ACCLIMATION OF TRITICUM-AESTIVUM BY CHOLINE CHLORIDE - PLANT-GROWTH, MINERAL-CONTENT, AND CELL-PERMEABILITY

Seedlings of a salt sensitive line of Triticum aestivum were grown in Hoagland solution supplemented with 100 mM NaCl following a pretreatme nt with choline chloride (ChCl). Changes in growth, mineral content of roots and shoots, and passive permeability of the cell membrane were measured. Relative growth of ChCl pretreated plants after exposure to NaCl maximized at 0.5 mM ChCl reaching about control values. Mineral c ontent (except Na+ and C1-) was lowered by NaCl treatment. Choline chl oride pretreatment at all concentrations decreased cell membrane perme ability for urea and methylurea with little effect of a subsequent NaC l treatment. The results suggested that ChCl acclimated the salt sensi tive wheat cultivar (with 0.5 mM ChCl the most effective concentration ). It is proposed that this acclimation involves two components: (a) m odification of the membrane phospholipid composition and structure by the ChCl pretreatment, and (b) enabling of the cell metabolism to func tion near to normal under saline conditions after ChCl pretreatment.