© 1988 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Sensitivity of red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) seedlings to sodium salts in solution
culture
F. C. Thorton (1, 2), M. Schaedle (1) and D. J. Raynal (1)
1. Faculty of Environmental and Forest Biology, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York,
Syracuse, NY 13210, USA / 2. Research Section, Air Quality Branch, Tennessee Valley Authority, Muscle Shoals, AL 35660, USA / Received August 24, 1987
Summary
Sodium salt sensitivity of red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) was evaluated in solution culture. Both species showed symptoms of salt injury when grown in the presence of less
than 10 mM Na. In red oak, leaf symptoms first appeared at a sodium concentration of 6.0 mM and leaf weight was significantly
reduced at 7.5 mM Na. Leaf, stem and root dry weights of American beech were significantly reduced in the presence of 4.0
mM sodium. In both species, browning of leaf margins and necrosis were evident in the Na-treated plants. The observed symptoms
were associated with high concentrations of sodium in the tissues. Neither species appears to have control over sodium uptake
and translocation.
