Effect of Salinity on Leaf Gas Exchange in Two Populations of a C4 Nonhalophyte

Abstract

Gas exchange measurements were made on plants from two natural populations differing in salt tolerance of Andropogon glomeratus, a C4 nonhalophyte, to examine the effect of salinity on components responsible for differences in photosynthetic capacity. Net CO2 uptake and stomatal conductance decreased with increasing salinity in both populations, but to a greater extent in the inland (nontolerant) population. The intercellular CO2 concentrations increased with increasing salinity in the inland population, but decreased in the marsh (tolerant) population. Water use efficiency decreased as salinity increased in the inland population, and remained unchanged in the marsh population. Carboxylation efficiency decreased and CO2 compensation points increased with increasing salinity in both populations, but to a lesser extent in the marsh population. Carboxylation efficiencies were higher with 2% relative to 21% atmospheric O2 in salt stressed plants, suggesting that a decrease in the carboxylation:oxygenation ratio of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase was partly responsible for the decrease in photosynthetic capacity. Populational differences in photosynthetic capacity were the result of greater salinity-induced changes in carboxylation efficiency in the inland population, and not due to differences in the stomatal limitation to CO2 diffusion.