ABSTRACT
The aquatic plant species Alternanthera philoxeroides is capable of growing under a broad range of salinities. J. A. Bolanos and D. J. Longstreth determined the effect of increasing salinity over time on plant water status. Field measurements of plant and soil water potentials were made over the growing season in saline location in Ohio. Both field and laboratory investigations indicate that halophytes have adapted to saline habitats by their ability to adjust osmotically to increasing salinity levels. The two main mechanisms of adjustment that are apparent include ion accumulation and a reduction in the water content of tissues. Both of these mechanisms lower the plant water potential and permit the plant to take up water as soil salinity levels increase. More research is needed to determine precisely how plants are adjusting their ionic content when exposed to salt stress.
