1970, SEITZER 1970, CHUNO-SHU et al. 1973). Increases in grain yield by CCC could be attributed, at least in certain instances, to a rise in weight of one grain.
BIOLOGIA P L A N T A R U M (PRAItA) 19 (2) : 101--106, 1977
The C o m b i n e d Effect of Soil Salinity and CCC on Dry Matter A c c u m u l a t i o n and Yield o f Wheat Plants
A. I. GAIn% M. M. SHARAgY* and S. A. EL-ASn~AI~* Department of Agricultural Botany and Plant ]?athology, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Shobra El-kheima, Cairo, Egypt
Abstract. The rise in soil salinity level tended to decrease shoot dry weight, and grain yield per plant and, to some extent, weight of 1 grain. This effect was usually more pronouneed in the presence of CCC. On the other hand, the shoot dry weight was increased by CCC m salinity absence but the reverse at 0.8 % salinization degree. The grain yield per plant was raised by CCC in the presence or absence of salinity, particularly in the latter case. The dry matter accumulation in the shoot system (at earing stage) rather than grain yield tended to be much more affected, whether regarding the negative response to salinity or the positive one to CCC.
The adverse effect of salinity upon growth and grain yield of wheat plants has often been reported in the literature (e.g. ASA~A and KALE 1965, RA~'F 1970). The possibility that CCC could improve wheat salt tolerance has rarely been examined with contradictory results (EL-KoB~IA et al. 1970, LACl~Aand I:DNA~I 1973). Accordingly, it was desirable to carry out tests employing both the salinity and CCC at various levels and applying the latter with different methods. This was achieved in the present work, which aimed mainly to determine the efficiency of CCC in overcoming the deleterious effects of salinity upon growth (as evidenced by dry matter accumulation) and grain yield of wheat. Material ard Methods Two experiments were carried out during the years 1973--1975 in the greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt. Different combinations of salinity and cycocel "CCC" [(2-chloro-ethyl) trimethylammonium chloride] were applied. Wheat plants (Triticum vulgare cv. 'Giza 155') were grown in earthenware pots, 35 cm in diameter, with inner coating of three layers of bitumen; the bottom was tightly closed. Every pot contained 8 kg air-dry Nile-clay soil. Seeds were sown on 21 November and t.he seedlings were thinned two weeks later to 15 plants per pot. Received May 11, 1976 * Address: Department of Agricultural Botany, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University,
Zagazig, :Egypt.
101
&. T. O&BR ET AL.
102
SAMPLE 4 (EARING STAGE) I ppm CCC : l--io
1.10~1.00~-
IH15oo
090r
I 1ooo
0.80~020~0.60~0.50~0A0~
F~2000
0.30~-
o-2oISAMPLE 3 (BOOTING STAGE) T/
i
2: (3 LU
>,m
0
SAMPLE 2 (TILLERING STAGE) 1"
0.30~
0.20~SAMPLE i ~JOINTING STAGE) 31; 0.10t 0~
0,0
0.2 0.4 0.6 SALT CONCENTRATION [%)
0.8
Fig. I. Average dry weight of shoot system of wheat plants at different developmental stages in relation to the combined effect of salinity and CO(3. The vertical bars denote the L.S,D. at 5% level for salinity • CCC interactions (t~he 1973--1974 ~eason).
A chloride type of salinization was applied (STROOO•OV 1962). The components of salt mixture used were: 10 % MgS04, 1 % CaS04, 78 % X*aC1, 2 % MgC12 and 9 % CaC03. In the 1st season five salinity levels were used: 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 % (on soil dry weight basis). In the 2nd season, however, the first four
SOIL SALINITY AND CCC
103
levels only were employed. The salt solution was added prior to seed-sowing. In the 1st experiment four levels of CCC solution (in distilled water) were used as a seed-soaking medium (for 24 h): 0.0, 500, 1000, and 2000 ppm. In the 2nd season, however, the first three levels only were employed as a spray w
,, 9 .
.
.
.
.
.
.
{h
(B)
z
r
4
o O u.
o t-25
r tg
0
CAt
35-
I
o~ 30 25
-a 2o _J
> ""
5 0,0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
SALT CONCENTRATION [%]
Fig. 2. The yield of grains (A) and weight of 100 grains (B) for wheat in relation to the combined effect of the salinity and CCC (the 1973--1974 season). Labelling of the columns see in Fig. 1. The vertical bar in A denotes the L.S.D. at 5% level for salinity X CCC, interaction.
(till drip) for shoot system (on the 15th day from sowing) after seed-soaking. In both the 1st and 2nd experiments each treatment was represented by 10 pots. The appropriate nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization was conducted. Soil water content was maintained at 65 % of water holding capacity. Determinations of shoot system dry weight after drying at 70 ~ for 48 h (means for 20 plants, each replicate consisting of 2 plants grown in one pot) were carried out in the 1st season only (at 15-day-intervals) at the joinling (21 days after sowing), tfllering, booting and earing stages. Grain yield determinations (yield of grains per pot, namely per 7 plants and 100 grains weight) were conducted at the end of each season (25 April). Results
Dry Weight
Dry weight of shoot system was significantly decreased in the great majority of cases due to exposure to salinity, compared with the case of nonsMinization conditions (Fig. 1). Such trend was consistent throughout plant development at the different CCC levels. At any sampling date, the adverse
104
A. I, GABR ET AL.
TABLE 1
The yield o f w h e a t i n the 1974--1975season in relation t o t h e e o m b i n e d e f f e e t o f s a l i n i t y and CCC Salg cone. [%]
CCG conc. [ppra]
Yield of grains per pot [g per 7 plants]
Weight o f l 0 0 grains [g]
0.0
0 500 1000
28.27 31.33 33.80
4.56 4.96 5.15
Mean
31.13
4.89
0 500 1000
26.77 27.27 27.50
4.39 4.85 4.96
Mean
27.18
4.73
0 500 1000
25.67 26.77 27.00
4.21 4.53 4.76
Mean
26.48
4.50
0 500 1000
24.50 25.93 24.97
3.81 4.22 4.22
Mean
25.13
4.08
0 500 1000
26.30 27.83 28.32
4.24 4.57 4.77
0.2
0.4,
0.6
:Mean values for the effect of CCC
L.S.D. at 5o/o level for: Salinity CCC Salinity • CCC inter.
0.45 0.51 0.89
effect on dry matter accumulation appeared to become much more pronounced as the salinity level was raised. On the other hand, the data did not show consistent trends for the effect of CCC upon shoot dry weight, compared with CCC-devoid plants. The effect exhibited in this regard generally appeared to be favourable under non-saline conditions, in contradistinction to the case with plants grown at 0.8 ~ salinization. Furthermore, no peculiar trends were obtained for the effect of changing the level of either factors -salinity and CCC -- upon dry weight response to the other factor. It was noteworthy, however, that the harmful effect of any given salinity level on dry weights at earing stage, comparing with unsalinized plants, generally appeared to be increased with a rise in CCC level. Yield
Whatever was the CCC concentration, the exposure to any salinity level adversely affected in each season the yield of grains per pot and, to some
SOIL S A L I N I T Y AND CCC
10~;
extent., the weight of one grain, comparing with non-salinization conditions (Table 1, Fig. 2). The negative response of grain yield per pot appeared in most cases to be statistically significant. The magnitude of such response became much more pronounced with a rise in salinization degree. Furthermore, the negative effect of salinity on 100 grains weight showed a similar trend in the 2nd season at all CCC levels, as well as for the CCC-devoid plants in the 1st one. The extent of adverse effect shown by any given salinity level was generally higher in the presence rather than in the absence of CCC, if considering grain yield per pot in each season as well as 100 grains weight in the 1st season only. On the other hand, it appeared (Figs. 1 and 2) that wheat plants grown in the presence or absence of CCC suffered from any given salinity level much more in dry matter accumulation in the shoot system (at earing stage) than in grain yield per pot. CCC with any concentration favourably affected in each season the yield of grains per pot, compared with CCC-devoid plants, the effect being statistically significant in most cases (Table 1, Fig. 2). Such positive influence was obvious under both saline and non-saline conditions, particularly the latter. Furthermore, the weight of 100 grains in the 2nd season tended, though not remarkably, at different salinity levels to be higher in the presence rather than in ~he absence of CCC. On the other hand, it appeared (Figs. 1 and 2) that the stimulation in grain yield production per plant due to the application of any given CCC concentration was generally less pronounced than the corresponding stimulation, if present, in shoot dry weight (at earing stage) under the same salinity conditions. Discussion Our results indicated that shoot dry weights were significantly decreased in most cases by salinization in the presence or absence of CCC. Such type of effects was also shown by ASANA and KALE (1965) and I~AUF (1970). On the other hand, CCC affected dry weights in our study either positively or negatively. Both the positive (CHU~C-SH~T et al. 1973) and negative (HoF~MA~ 1973) types of effects have been recorded in the literature. In our investigation, salinization, whether in the absence or presence of CCC, led generally to an adverse effect upon grain yield per plant and, to some extent, 100 grains weight. The negative response of wheat grain yield to salinization could correspond with the results of ASANA and KALE (1965) and RAUF (1970). The grain yield decrease due to salirdty could have resulted, at least in part, from reduction in grain weight. Reduction in weight of 100 wheat grains due to salinity was noticed in this study as well as by ASANA and KALE (1965). Our data indicated further that CCC tended to improve grain production. Such type of effects has been frequently met with in the literature (DAs et al. 1970, SEITZER 1970, CHUNO-SHU et al. 1973). Increases in grain yield by CCC could be attributed, at least in certain instances, to a rise in weight of one grain. Such a raising trend was noticed in some of our results, and it was also repol~ed in the literature (DAs et al. 1970, SEITZER 1970, CHUNG-SHU et al. 1973). On the other hand, our finding that the beneficial effect of CCC upon wheat grain yield could hold even under salinity conditions, may correspond with the observations of LAURA and ]DNANI (1973).
106
A . I . GABR ET AL.
References ASAI~A, R. D., KALE, V. R. : A study of salt tolerance of four varieties of wheat. - - Indian J. Plant Physiol. 8 : 5--22, 1965. CttUNG-SItu, L., CtIENG-TE, Y., Yu-CKEG, L., HsI~, C. : Effects of CCC on the distribution and accumulation of materials during the grain filling period in wheat. - - Aeta bet. sin. 15 : 71 to 80, 1973. ])AS, B., VIG, A. C., RANDHAWA, N. S. : Effect of CCC on growth, yield and composition of wheat and residual effect on soil - - J. Res. Punjab Agr. Univ. 7 : 439--448, 1970. EL-KoBBIA, T., OMA~, M. A., EL-DAMATY, A. H. : The influence of CCC on the resistance of wheat plants to salinity. - - United Arab Rep. J. Soil Sci. 10 : 249--253, 1970. HOFFM~N, P. : Comparative pigment physiological studies on CCC-treated wheat seedlings. Photosynthetica 7 : 213--225, 1973. LAURA, R. D., IDNANI, M. A. : Comparative ameliorative effects of CCC and some organic amendments on wheat yield in saline and alkali soils. - - Agrochimica 17 : 290--297, 1973. RAuF, A. : Salt tolerance studies of wheat C 273 and Mexipak (Red). - - Bangladesh J. Soil Sci. 6 : 32--37, 1970. SEITZER, J. F.: Effect of CCC on bread wheat in Kenya. - - Exp. Agr. 6 : 255--261, 1970. STROGONOV, B. P. : [Physiological basis of the salt tolerance of plants (Under different types of soil salinization)]. In Russ. - - Izd. Akad. Nauk, Moskva 1962.
BOOK R E V I E W ~r D. J., HESS, W. M. (ed.): The Fungal Spore. Form and Function. -- A Wiley-Interscience Publ., New Y o r k - - L o n d o n - - S y d n e y - - T o r o n t o 1976. 895 pp., s 16.75, $ 33.30. This book makes an important contribution to ultrastructural and biochemical aspects of fungal spores. The book is based on the Second International Fungal Spore Symposium held a t the Brigham Young University, 1974, which synthesized and summarized all t h a t is known about the form and function of dormant and germinated funsal spores. The scanning electron micrographs of structures, chemical composition, physical properties and biochemical research of funsal spores are included in this valuable volume. The book is divided into five sections. The first section "Dormancy and activation of fungal spores" include three chapters and describes the dormant spores, self-inbibitors and activators of fungal spore germination. In the second section "Germination of fungal spores" witb six chapters, the carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism during spore germination as well as the studies of nucleic acids, organelle changes during fungal spore germination, and the fine structure of cell walls, especially of fungal spores and their changes during germination, are discussed. The most comprehensive section " F o r m and function of fungal spores" with eigth chapters deals with resistant structures in the Myxomycetes, form and function of spores of Ch~ridiomycetes, Zygomycetes, Oomycetes, Basidiomycetes, Ascomycetes and form and function of conidia, especially of imperfect fungi, as related to their development. I n the smallest section "Workshop" in the chapter "Fossil fungal spores" the paleoecology, paleogeography and phylogenesis of fungal spore types are discussed. In m y opinion, the book is a valuable and very useful source of information because it includes not only research reviews on numerous topics and extensive reviews of the literature, several tables and a number of electron micrographs, but also an outline of future trends in fungal spore research. Many participants of the Symposium suggested the physiology and biochemistry of the spores, the biochemistry and surface structures of spores and the processes of sporogenesis including biochemical and electron microscopy studies and the sporulation to be emphasized at a future symposium. This voluminous book may be recommended to research workers, not only to mycologists, but also to botanists, microbiologists and agriculturists.
VLASTA ~ATSK~ (Praha)
