SOME PARAMETERS OF GROWTH OF RIVER COOBA SEEDLINGS UNDER SALT STRESS

The experiment was conducted to observe the influence of Sea salt salinity (0, 0.15, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 and 1.2% corresponding to ECiw of 0.6, 3.51, 5.24, 9.23, 12.81 and 16.67 dS.m -1 , respectively) on seedling growth and the physiological, biochemical and mineral parameters of growth in Acacia stenophylla A. Cunn. Ex. Benth. On average basis, 50% reduction in seedling growth performance corresponded to 12.51 ± 1.51 dS.m -1 . Phyllode concentrations of protein, sugars, proline and phenols increased significantly with the salt stress and the pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids) concentrations declined. There was substantial increase in Na and Cl contents of phyllode (303.9 and 145.9 % over control, respectively) in extreme salinity. There was very low variation in K contents – only 4.74% decline over control under extreme salinity. A. stenophylla appeared to be potassiophillic as K / Na ratio was always much higher than one in magnitude although declined from 10.20 in control to 2.26 under extreme salt stress of ECiw: 16.67 dS.m -1 . The results are discussed in physiological context.