In this paper the influence of accumulation and distribution of ions in plant shoots on acclimation to salt stress of cowpea and sorghum plants was studied. The plants were subjected to two treatments: control (nutrient solution without addition of NaCl) and saline (nutrient solution containing 75 mM of NaCl). Sorghum showed a higher tolerance to salt stress in comparison to cowpea, mainly after the 10th day of stress. Cowpea showed higher shoot ion accumulation than sorghum, which behaved as a plant with good capacity of ion exclusion. The higher accumulation of potentially toxic ions in cowpea leaves contributed to the increase in leaf succulence. Although the exclusion or retention of ions observed in stressed plants of sorghum had produced a certain degree of leaf dehydration, it seemed to be a much more efficient mechanism of stress acclimation than the excessive accumulation of ions in leaf tissues of cowpea plants.
salinity; Vigna unguiculata; Sorghum bicolor; salt tolerance
