STUDIES ON GROWTH AND DISTRIBUTION OF NA+, K+ AND CL- IN SOYBEAN VARIETIES DIFFERING IN SALT TOLERANCE

Soybean plants, varieties “Lee”, “Jackson” and “Bragg” were grown in solution culture at various salinity levels. A NaCl concentration of 10 mM was already inhibitory to growth of “Jackson”; growth of “Lee”, however, was only reduced at a salt concentration of 50 mM or higher. The moderately salt tolerant variety “Lee” efficiently excluded Cl− from the leaves up to about 50 mM NaCl in the medium, but showed high Cl− contents in the root; exclusion of Na+ from the leaves was also apparent in this variety. On the other hand, the salt sensitive variety “Jackson” did not have the capacity for exclusion of Cl− and Na+. The physiological behaviour of the variety “Bragg” resembled that of “Jackson”. It is suggested that the exclusion of Cl− and Na+ from the leaves in the soybean variety “Lee” is regulated by the root. Copyright © 1979 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim