Abstract
Soil salinity is a serious problem that limits productivity and survival of plants. Arabidopsis thaliana has served as a model plant to study different aspects of plant physiology and molecular genetics. However, its glycophytic nature, makes it unsuitable for salinity stress studies as it does not survive high dosage of salinity for extended periods. Moreover, the mechanisms of salt tolerance may be more evolved and possible different in halophytes. Hence, halophytes are better suited for such studies. With this background, the present investigation was initiated with the objectives of finding a suitable halophytic close relative of A. thaliana which may enable a better understanding of salt tolerance mechanisms. The present report describes the establishment of Lepidium sativum L. as a suitable halophyte for undertaking molecular physiology experiments under salt stress conditions. An efficient yet simple hydroponic culture system for L. sativum developed under the present investigation along with growth performance of the plant at varying levels of NaCl treatments (0–200 mM concentration) is also reported, showcasing its effective use in giving salt treatments that are amicable to any molecular biology laboratory involved in study of gene expression.
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The authors thank Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun—an autonomous body under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, New Delhi for the project grant.
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Mishra, B., Kant, T. A simple, inexpensive, scalable and low maintenance hydroponics system for growing halophyte: Lepidium sativum L. (Brassicaceae), ideal for manipulating salt stress and inferring gene expression levels. Ind J Plant Physiol. 23, 760–771 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40502-018-0422-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40502-018-0422-4