Salt tolerance of the reed plant <i>Phragmites communis</i>

Abstract

Reed plants ( Phragmites communis Trinius) were grown at NaCl concentrations up to 500 m M and their growth, mineral contents and leaf blade osmotic potential were determined. Addition of NaCl up to 300 m M did not affect growth significantly. Sucrose, Cl ‐ and Na + concentrations in the shoots increased with the salinity of the medium and the shoot water content decreased. K + always contributed most to the leaf osmotic potential. Even in the presence of 250 m M NaCl in the rooting medium, the leaf blade contained only 50 mM Na + , suggesting that the plants have an efficient mechanism for Na + exclusion. 22 Na + uptake experiments suggested that the retranslo‐cation of absorbed Na + from shoots to the rooting medium lowered the uptake of Na + .