Salinity and waterlogging tolerance in wild Hordeum species: physiological basis and prospects for use in cereal improvement

摘要

The genus Hordeum contains many wild species that grow in diverse habitats (non-saline to saline, dryland to wetland). We evaluated waterlogging tolerance and root aeration traits, as well as salinity tolerance and leaf ion (Na~+, Cl~-, K~+) concentrations, in a range of Hordeum taxa. A number of species are substantially more tolerant to these stresses than H. vulgare and T. aestivum. For example, H. marinum was one of the most salt- and waterlogging-tolerant species; with superior root aeration when in an anaerobic medium, and a capacity to maintain low concentrations of Na~+ and Cl~- in young leaves when exposed to salinity. A H. marinurn-wheat amphiploid has been produced, opening the possibility that some wild Hordeum species might be used for improving salt- and waterlogging-tolerance in cereals.