Will Avicennia Alba Thrive in Climate Change Induced Salinity Rise

The effect of salinity on chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid and proline content of hydroponically grown seedlings of Avicennia alba was studied to observe its tolerance to changing salinity. The selected seedlings were exposed to five different salinity levels (2, 5, 10, 15 and 20 psu) for a period of 30 days and observations were done at a regular interval of 7, 14, 21 and 30 days respectively. The concentrations of chlorophyll exhibited significant positive correlations with salinity (p < 0.01). The chlorophyll a:b ratio in the plant varied between 3.04 to 3.56 through out the period of inves- tigation. The salinity fluctuation did not affect the carotenoid level and proline content in the leaves of the species as evidenced from the insignificant r values. The results show that Avicennia alba of Indian Sundarbans region can tolerate and adapt to high saline condition as witnessed in the central sector of the deltaic complex around the Matla River.