The Role of Leaf in Partitioning of Sodium and Chloride Ions in NaCl Treated Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) Plants

Analysis of two month old plants of two varieties of rice Pokkali (salt tolerant) and IR 28 (salt sensitive) revealed that more Na⁺ was present in the sheath than in the blades of both varieties grown in control plot In the saline plots Na⁺ content in both leaf segments of both varieties were higher than their respective controls. However, more Na⁺ was accumulated in the sheath than in the blades. In the non-saline plots, Cl⁻ content in the blades was higher than the sheath of both varieties. In the saline plot, Cl⁻ level remained high in the blades of IR 28 but in Pokkali, leaf sheath had more Cl⁻ than the blades.