SALINITY EFFECTS ON PLANT-GROWTH AND OTHER PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES

Paper covers both old and new research to show possible tendencies of effects of unfavorable concentrations of salts (namely NaCl) on the physiology of plants. Whereas plant physiologists have been successful in outlining the main physiological features of salt stress, the acting mechanisms are still far from being precisely elucidated. On the basis of vast literature and the authors' experimental results four generalized schemes illustrating some of the principal reactions were proposed. Two of them deal with salt stress components (water, osmotic, and toxic); third describes the effects of these components on gas exchange processes. The context of this paper describes the fourth scheme, presenting the events from the moment of ion influx to the overall growth and yield. In the study of salinity effects on plant growth, some researches tend to be overlooked. The authors' suggestion is that substantial progress in the field might be achieved by exploring some of them e.g. gas exchange, translocation and partitioning of photoassimilates, and last but not least, growth analysis.