Abstract:
In this study, the seedlings of
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. were used as plant material. After treatment with NaCl, NaCl + CaCl
2, and NaCl + LaCl
3, the contents of Na
+, K
+, Ca
2+, and Mg
2+ in the leaves, stems, and roots were tested using ICP-OES, with the values of K
+/Na
+, Ca
2+/Na
+, and Mg
2+/Na
+ also calculated to explore the role of calcium in maintaining ion balance under NaCl stress. The fluxes of Na
+ and K
+ were also determined by the non-invasive micro-test technique (NMT). Results showed that after NaCl treatment, the content of Na
+ in the three plant organs increased, whereas the contents of K
+, Ca
2+, and Mg
2+ decreased, as did the ion content ratios. The addition of CaCl
2 reduced the content of Na
+, but increased the contents of K
+, Ca
2+, and Mg
2+ as well as the ion content ratios. Conversely, LaCl
3 treatment caused the opposite results. After treatment with NaCl for 24 h, significant effluxes of Na
+ and K
+ were found in the root tip, indicating that
M. crystallinum L. was in a state of ionic imbalance. After the addition of CaCl
2, the efflux rate of Na
+ increased obviously, whereas that of K
+ was inhibited. Conversely, the addition of LaCl
3 reduced Na
+ efflux but accelerated K
+ efflux. The above results suggested that when
M. crystallinum L. exposed to salt stress, calcium promoted Na
+ efflux but reduced K
+ efflux in the root tips, and maintained lower Na
+ content in the three plant organs, suggesting that calcium plays an important role in maintaining and regulating ionic balance.