Department of Botany, Srivenkateswara University, Tirupati (A.P.)
2 Present Address: Scientist-1 (Physiology), Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore-7 (Tamil Nadu).
1 The data Incorporated in this article formed a part of Ph.D. thesis of the first author.
The chloroplast metabolism of peanut (Arachis hypogaea, L) plants grown in normal, salinized (NaCl) and alkalized (Na2CO3) soils was investigated. Sodium and chloride contents were increased in chloroplasts with the sodium chloride treatment while sodium alone was increased with sodium carbonate treatment. The rates of photochemical reactions viz., Hill reaction activity, photophosphorylation and NADP reducing activity of ehloroplast ferredoxin were affected under salt stress. In general, the levels of reducing sugars and starch of chloroplasts were decreased while those of non-reducing sugars were increased by treatment with the salts, total carbohydrate (Starch+total sugars) contents of chloroplasts were decreased under salt treatments. Both salinity and alkalinity reduced protein nitrogen with a concomitant increase in soluble nitrogen of chloroplasts. Mineral constituents like phosphorus, magnesium, manganese and iron of chloroplasts were also depressed by both the salts.
