SALT TOLERANCE IN LYCOPERSICON SPECIES .1. CHARACTER DEFINITION AND CHANGES IN GENE-EXPRESSION

Salt tolerance defined in terms of fruit yield under different NaCl co ncentrations (171.1 and 325.1 mM) is analyzed in 11 lines belonging to : Lycopersicon esculentum, L. cheesmanii, L. chmielewski, L. peruvianu m and L. pimpinellifolium. Four L. pimpinellifolium lines and two L. c heesmanii lines tolerated the 171.1 mM treatment; the latter species e ven tolerates 325.1 mM of NaCl. Changes in gene expression induced by salt treatment were also investigated by studying anther and leaf zymo grams for L. esculentum and one salt-tolerant L. pimpinellifolium line , and leaf proteinograms for all lines. Changes in leaf PRX and MDH en zymatic systems were detected, mainly in the salt-sensitive genotype ( L. esculentum). Four salt-related peptides from 14 500 to 40 000 dalto ns were found. A polyclonal antibody raised against one of these pepti des (number 2), also binds another peptide, named 2', of much higher m olecular weight, present both in control and salt-tolerant L. cheesman ii lines at the end of 171.1 mM treatment. The xero-halophyte shrub At riplex halimus also showed a likely 2'-homologous peptide with this tr eatment, while its counterpart C3 species A. triangularis did not.