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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2022, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (10): 110-121.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2021492

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Effects of Epichloё endophyte on seed germination and seedling growth of Stipa purpurea under salt stress

Peng ZHANG(), Xi REN, Si-yu MENG, Xiao-xing WEI, Gen-sheng BAO()   

  1. Key Laboratory of Superior Forage Germplasm in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Madicine,Qinghai University,Xining 810016,China
  • Received:2021-12-28 Revised:2022-03-21 Online:2022-10-20 Published:2022-09-14
  • Contact: Gen-sheng BAO

Abstract:

Stipa purpurea is one of the dominant grass species in alpine grassland in the Qinghai Lake basin, which is severely affected by salinity. S. purpurea maintains a high rate of Epichloё endophyte infection in native grassland, and Epichloё endophyte infection can improve salt tolerance of grasses. However, little research has been reported on Epichloё endophyte effects on the seed germination and seedling growth of S. purpurea under salt stress. This experiment studied the effects of salt stress on the germination and seedling growth of endophyte-infected (E+) and endophyte-free (E-) S. purpurea seeds. The experiment treatments included different concentrations of single salt (NaCl, Na2SO4, Na2CO3 and NaHCO3) and compound salt (NaCl+Na2CO3) stress. It was found that the germination rate, germination power and germination index of S. purpurea seeds decreased progressively with successive increases in salt concentration, and the presence of Epichloё endophyte suppressed the downward trend for seed germinability. The intensity of seedling and radical growth inhibition increased with salt concentration and, the relative salt damage rate to seed germination also continued to increase. In addition, salt damage originating from Na2CO3 and Na2SO4 on seed germination and seedling growth of S. purpurea was higher than other salt types. Thus, Epichloё endophyte infection is one of the reasons why S. purpurea adapts to saline soil in Qinghai Lake Basin and becomes the dominant grass in alpine grassland. This information is relevant to ecological restoration of areas affected by soil salinization and identification of salt-tolerant grass germplasm and indicates the value of using the Epichloё endophyte symbiont with S. purpurea.

Key words: salt stress, salt type, Epichloё endophyte, Stipa purpurea, seed germination, seedling growth, relative salt damage rate