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The objective of this study was to examine the expression and activity of nitrate reductase (NR, EC 1.7.1.1), nitrite reductase (NiR, EC 1.7.2.2), glutamine synthetase (GS, EC 6.3.1.2), and glutamate synthase (GOGAT, EC 1.4.7.1) in response to potassium nitrate, ammonium chloride, and ammonium nitrate in nitrogen-starved wheat seedlings. Plants were grown in standard nutrient solution for 17 days and then subjected to nitrogen starvation for 7 days. The starved plants were supplied with potassium nitrate ammonium nitrate and ammonium chloride (50 mM) for 4 days and the leaves were harvested. The relative expression of NR, NiR, GS, and GOGAT as well as the enzyme activities were investigated. Nitrogen starvation caused a significant decrease both in transcript levels and in NR, NiR, GS, and GOGAT activities. Potassium nitrate and ammonium nitrate treatments restored NR, NiR, GS, and GOGAT expressions and activities. Ammonium chloride increased only the expressions and activities of GS and GOGAT in a dose-dependent manner. The results of our study highlight the differential effects between the type and the amount of nitrogen salts on NR, NiR, GS, and GOGAT activities in wheat seedlings while potassium nitrate being more effective.

Walnut (J. regia L.) is one of the most sensitive plants to abiotic stresses for which finding salt-tolerant genetic resources is very important. Effects of salt stress on seed germination of seven walnut cultivars (Serr, Lara, Pedro, Chandler, Hartely, Vina, and Roun de Montignac) were studied. Salt stress treatments were applied using NaCl solutions ranging from 50 to 250 mm. The increase in salinity levels resulted in a substantial decrease in root relative water content. The percent of germination was also affected by salinity level and cultivar and their interactions. The mean germination time differed among treatment media and cultivars and a significant interaction was observed between these two factors. According to the cluster analysis, ‘Chandler’ was classified as the most tolerant cultivar. ‘Hartley’, ‘Pedro’, and ‘Round de Montignac’ (‘RDM’) were also classified in another group (semisensitive), whereas ‘Vina’, ‘Serr’, and ‘Lara’ were classified as sensitive cultivars. With the increase in salt stress, resistant cultivars accumulated more potassium (K) and calcium, especially in their shoots. However, in the semitolerant cultivars, accumulation of K in the root was more than in the shoot. Differences in magnesium accumulation in roots and shoots of all samples were significant at all stress levels and were dependent on genotypes. Sodium levels in roots were higher than in the shoots in most cultivars, especially in the semisensitive and tolerant ones. There was a low correlation (r2 ≤ 0.15) between walnut seed traits (seed weight and kernel weight) and growth indices with respect to salinity tolerance.

The effects of osmotic stress induced by polyethylene glycol on the seed germination of 16 walnut genotypes (‘Z30’, ‘Z53’, ‘Z67’, ‘Z60’, ‘Z63’, ‘K72’, ‘B21’, ‘V30’, ‘Panegine20’, ‘Hartley’, ‘Pedro’, ‘Vina’, ‘Lara’, ‘Serr’, ‘Ronde de Montignac’, and ‘Chandler’) of Juglans regia L. were studied. Potted seeds were kept under controlled conditions (12/12-h light/dark photoperiod and 25 ± 1 °C) during the experiments. The objective was to screen genotypes and determine the critical range of osmotic potential (ψS) for walnut seeds during germination. Decreasing the ψS of the germination solutions markedly reduced germination percentage in all genotypes, but there were variations in degree among the genotypes. The Z genotypes were the most sensitive to osmotic stress, and their germination rates were the lowest at ψS more negative than –0.75 MPa. Cluster analysis produced a dendrogram with four groups differing in their tolerance to osmotic stress. Based on factor analysis, four factors explained 90.45% of data total variance. Factor analysis showed that tissue fresh and dry weight, tissue water content, and thickness were the most important traits under drought condition. Regression analysis failed to show a significant relationship between percent germination and either seed weight (r2 = 0.0601) or kernel weight (r2 = 0.0258).

Soluble sugars and proline accumulation play a role as effective indices for drought tolerance screening in Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) during germination. Abstract-Introduction. Drought stress is the major factor affecting growth, development and production of walnut trees. In Iran, approximately 33 Mha of land is affected by salinization and drought stress. Finding genetic resources tolerant to drought stress at different growth stages is important for such semi-arid regions. Our aim was to understand better the adaptive mechanisms that enable different genotypes of walnut population to survive under drought stress, and to provide some useful clues for walnut tree breeding toward improved drought tolerance with utilization of existing droughttolerant genetic resources. Materials and methods. To study the mechanism(s) involved in drought tolerance of some Persian walnut genotypes, drought stress was induced using polyethylene glycol-6000 to produce water potentials of 0 Mpa (control),-0.10 MPa,-0.50 MPa,-0.75 MPa,-1.00 MPa,-1.50 MPa and-2.00 MPa. The amount of proline and soluble sugar accumulation in four walnut genotypes ('Panegine 20 ', 'Lara', 'Serr' and 'Chandler') were determined after being exposed to the various water potential levels. Results. The rates of seed germination in all genotypes were significantly reduced by low external water potentials. Plants exposed to water stress had a higher amount of soluble sugars in roots and shoots of tolerant genotypes ('Panegine 20 ' and 'Chandler') and a lower amount of starch in their tissues. These results imply the important roles of soluble sugars as solutes conferring resistance to drought in these genotypes. The free proline levels were also increased in response to drought stress. They were higher in drought-tolerant genotypes than in sensitive ones ('Lara' and 'Serr'). Proline increased more in shoots than in roots. However, the soluble sugar and starch fluctuations were higher in the roots. Conclusion. Our results support a direct correlation between the degree of drought stress and proline content. As a consequence, proline concentrations could be used as a biochemical marker of drought stress level in walnut plants. Iran Islamic Republic / Juglans regia / genetic resources / drought stress / seedlings / sugars / proline Les sucres solubles et l'accumulation de proline sont des indicateurs efficaces pour la sélection de noyers persans (Juglans regia L.) tolérants à la sécheresse pendant la germination. Résumé-Introduction. Le stress dû à la sécheresse est le principal facteur influant sur la croissance, le développement et la production de noyers. En Iran, environ 33 Mha de terres sont affectées par la salinisation et la sécheresse. Trouver des ressources génétiques tolérantes à la sécheresse à différents stades de croissance est important pour ces régions semi-arides. Notre objectif a été de mieux comprendre les mécanismes adaptatifs qui permettent aux différents génotypes de noyers de survivre en conditions de stress hydrique et de fournir quel...