The objective of this work was to determine the photosynthetic responses and the accumulation of carbohydrates, salt ions, and proline in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) plants subjected to salinity. Plants were subjected to four treatments, from 28 to 35 days of age: 0, 50, 100, and 200 mmol L-1 of NaCl. Leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, leaf water potential, and leaf concentrations of carbohydrates, Na+, Cl-, and proline were evaluated. Treatments had no effect on potential quantum efficiency of photosystem II, but there was a slight reduction in effective quantum efficiency and a higher dissipation of excess excitation energy by non-photochemical processes. The foliar contents of starch decreased, and those of sucrose and proline increased with higher NaCl content. There was Na+ exclusion and Cl-accumulation in leaves, and leaf water relations were little affected by salt stress, except in the most severe treatment. The accumulation of Cl- was related with the reduction of CO2 assimilation, which resulted from the decline in stomatal conductance and in Rubisco carboxylation efficiency. Cowpea plants have physiological characteristics that favor the maintenance of photosynthetic activity under short-term exposure to salinity.
Vigna unguiculata; stomatal conductance; carboxylation efficiency; chlorophyll fluorescence; proline; gas exchange
