Effects of salt stress on germination, emergence and establishment of dwarf-cashew seedling

Abstract

We investigated the effects of salinity on (germination, emergence and establishment of dwarf-cashew seedling) trying to establish a link between development and ion accumulation in the seedling tissues. In a greenhouse, cashew nuts were sown in trays containing vermiculite moistened with distilled water (0.0 dS m-1) or with NaCl solutions with electrical conductivities ranging between 3.0 to 18.0 dS m-1. We determined the percentage of seedlings that reached the development stages studied and the time and speed at which this occurred, as well as cotyledon and embryonic axis dry mass and the Na+, K+ and Cl- contents of embryonic axis. Salinity delayed emergence and establishment seedling, however, only the final percentage of established seedlings was reduced, accompanied by inhibition of depletion of reserves and a decrease in embryonic axis dry mass. Na+ and Cl- contents increased with salinity, but this was more pronounced in established seedlings, in which there was a reduction in content of K+. Results suggest that dwarf cashew seedlings are more sensitive to salinity during the establishment stage and that deleterious effects of salt stress are mediated, at least in part, by excessive accumulation of Na+ and Cl- in the seedling tissues.