Salinity Effects on Water Potential Components and Bulk Elastic Modulus of Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.

Pressure volume curves for Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. (alligator weed) grown in 0 to 400 millimolar NaCl were used to determine water potential (Psi), osmotic potential (psi(s)), turgor potential (psi(p)) and the bulk elastic modulus (epsilon) of shoots at different tissue water contents. Values of psi(s) decreased with increasing salinity and tissue Psi was always lower than rhizosphere Psi. The relationship between psi(p) and tissue water content changed because epsilon increased with salinity. As a result, salt-stressed plants had larger ranges of positive turgor but smaller ranges of tissue water content over which psi(p) was positive. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such a salinity effect on epsilon in higher plants. These increases in epsilon with salinity provided a mechanism by which a large difference between plant Psi and rhizosphere Psi, the driving force for water uptake, could be produced with relatively little water loss by the plant. A time-course study of response after salinization to 400 millimolar NaCl showed Psi was constant within 1 day, psi(s) and psi(p) continued to change for 2 to 4 days, and epsilon continued to change for 4 to 12 days. Changes in epsilon modified the capacity of alligator weed to maintain a positive water balance and consideration of such changes in other species of higher plants should improve our understanding of salt stress.