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MSc Exit Seminar – Ruben Flam-Shepherd (Kronzucker lab)
March 2, 2016 @ 4:10 pm - 4:40 pm
MSc Exit Seminar
Wednesday March 2nd, 4:10 pm – Ramsay Wright Building, Rm. 432 (rescheduled)
Ruben Flam-Shepherd (Kronzucker lab)
“An Examination of the Role of Silicate in Sodium Transport and Salinity Tolerance in Rice (Oryza sativa)“
Abstract
Silicate (Si)-mediated alleviation of salinity toxicity in rice is proposed to be exerted through a decrease in apoplastic sodium (Na+) transport. This is said to decrease shoot Na+ accumulation, a commonly proposed salt tolerance strategy. To investigate this, salt tolerant (Pokkali) and salt sensitive (IR29) rice cultivars were grown in either 0 or 1.67 mM Si over a range of Na+ concentrations, and cultivar-specific effective concentrations of Na+ at which shoot fresh weight was decreased by 50% were determined. Within this experimental framework, salinity tolerance strategies were characterized using the radiotracer 24Na+ in conjunction with electrophysiological, photometric, and fluorescent dye measurements. Si treatment was found to decrease shoot Na+ accumulation by over 50% in both cultivars, while having no effect on transmembrane ion currents. Si-treated IR29 exhibited lowered apoplastic bypass and shoot Na+ flux, though no effect was seen in Pokkali. Examinations of Na+ efflux and shoot-to-root recirculation in Pokkali were unable to reconcile differences between shoot Na+ content and tracer-flux analyses.
Ramsay Wright is a wheelchair accessible building.