XVI International Botanical Congess

Salinity is an environmental stress that limits growth and reproduction in plants. The possible involvement of activated oxygen species in the mechanism of damage by NaCl stress remains unresolved. In the present study, antioxidant enzymes response to NaCl stress was investigated in acacia seedlings. Acacia occurs in all continents except Europe and Antarctica. Particularly, they are well-developed in Africa and Australia. Acacia species are characteristic of the arid and semi-arid climatic zone. In several studies, some of Acacia species show a high degree of salt tolerance and are thought to be useful for utilizing saline soils. Three-day-old Acacia seedlings were exposed to five different NaCl concentrations for ten hours. Northern blotting revealed that catalase and iron superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD) were induced as NaCl concentration increased. However, other enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase and manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) were not much induced.