Effect of NO Donor Sodium Nitroprusside (SNP) on Seed Germination of Suaeda salsa L. under NaCl Stress

The effect of NO donor sodium nitroprusside(SNP) on seed germination physiology under NaCl stress was examined using the seeds of Suaeda salsa treated with NaCl(800 mmol·L-1) containing 0.1 mmol·L-1 SNP or not.Results were as follows,seed germination rate of S.salsa decreased remarkably when the seeds were treated with 800 mmol·L-1 NaCl,while 0.1 mmol·L-1 SNP significantly alleviated the germination inhibition induced by NaCl.Water content and water absorption rate of seeds treated with SNP were higher than those of the control,while the proline content of embryos was lower.SNP treatment produced no significant influence on Na+,K+ and soluble carbohydrate content of the embryos under NaCl stress.The results suggested that the main reason for SNP alleviation of NaCl stress was that it could significantly increase the water content of seeds and alleviate osmotic stress generated by NaCl.