Salt tolerance at germination and early growth of two forage grasses growing in marshy habitats

Effects of 0-25 ppt NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, Na2SO4, MgSO4 and seawater on seed germination in two salt marsh grasses viz., Aeluropus lagopoides Linn. and Sporobolus madraspatanus Bor. were examined at constant (25 °C) and alternating (15 °C/32 °C) temperatures. 90 and 99% seeds germinated in distilled water, but no germination was recorded beyond 5 ppt NaCl, KCl and 8 dS m−1 seawater. As compared to the control, 70-day-old seedlings grown in 16-48 dS m−1 seawater concentrations showed lesser shoot length and fresh weight, but greater root length and dry weight. Large amounts of proline and phenyalanine and proline and glutamic acid were recorded for salt treated seedlings of A. lagopoides and S. madraspatanus, respectively. Accumulation of glucose and galactose in A. lagopoides and additionally that of arabinose and rhamnose in S. madraspatanus was greater in seedlings raised in seawater concentrations.