Changes of Organic Solutes and Antioxidative Enzyme Activity in Rice Seedling under Salt Stress

Seedlings of two rice genotyopes, cvs. Ilpumbyeo and Gancheokbyeo, were exposed to 0, 50 and 100 mM NaCl in nutrient solution for nine days. Plants were collected at the interval of 3 days and organic and inorganic solutes in leaves and roots and antioxidative enzyme activity in leaves were determined. Under salinity, the accumulation of soluble sugars occurred considerably in the older leaves of stressed seedlings compared to younger leaves and roots. The endogenous Na+ contents markedly increased at higher NaCl concentration in leaves and roots of seedlings, though it was higher accumulated in roots. Salinity resulted in an excessive proline accumulation in the stressed plants. A more pronounced increase was observed in Gancheokbyeo leaves. SOD activity in Impumbyeo cannot found any remarkable change, whereas, in Gancheokbyeo, its activity was rapidly decreased. CAT and POD activities increased with an increase in NaCl concentration in both genotypes. In sum­mary, the high capacity of rice seedlings to overcome an unfavorable growth condition such salt stress appears to be related to an adequate partition of organic solutes between shoots and roots and to changes in absorption, transport and re-translocation of salts.