Anatomical changes induced by salinity stress in Salicornia freitagii (Amaranthaceae)

A salt-tolerant population of Salicornia freitagii Yaprak and Yurdakulol (naturally adapted) from saline soils of Bahşili village, Sungurlu, Çorum, Turkey, was evaluated for root and succulent stem modifications. Salt-tolerant populations from low (2.3 dS m −1 ), medium (20.7 dS m −1 ) and highly (46.3 dS m −1 ) saline soils were collected for comparisons. Decreased parenchyma in roots is critical for enhancing water loss. However, the thickness of parenchyma in roots of S. freitagii collected from the edge of the stream was not more affected by the increase in salinity levels. Stem anatomical characters as thickness, length and width of water-storing tissue significantly increased in highly saline environments. The thickness of xylem and the diameter of the vessels decreased at higher salinity. There was an increase in the diameter of pith in stem with increasing salt levels. Additionally, it was observed that stomatal index was considerably reduced under high salinity. Our results report root and stem anatomical features of S. freitagii resulting from adaptation to salinity stress.