Effect of Sodium Chloride Salinity on the Water Balance of Atriplex Halimus

Abstract

Sodium chloride was found to improve the water balance of A. halimus plants under conditions of high evaporative demand. This improvement was expressed by higher values of turgor pressure and percentage saturation value in plants grown in salinized culture solutions (Knop solution to which sodium chloride was added to give final osmotic potentials of from -3 to -10 bars) as compared with plants grown in the control (Knop) solutions.