The accumulation of sodium and chlorine in the root to cope with the salinity stress in the pharmaceutical plant Nepeta astrotricha

In this research, the effect of salinity induced by sodium chloride on sodium and chlorine changes in root of Nepeta astrotricha plant was studied in a completely randomized design with five salinity levels of 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 dsm-1 and three replications. The buds are kept in plastic pots and similar conditions in the research greenhouse of the Natural Resources Faculty of Yazd University. After 60 days of using the treatments, the roots of the plants were transferred to the laboratory and after the extraction of root extract, the sodium and chlorine content were measured. Based on the results of analysis of variance, increasing the salinity increased the sodium content of the root of the plant. This increase was significant in treatments of 7.5 and 10 dsm-1 as compared to control. Also, the amount of chlorine increased with increasing salinity levels. The highest amount of chlorine at sample 10 dsm-1 and the minimum amount in the non-stressed sample was observed. It seems that the Nepeta astrotrich a pharmaceutical plant with absorb and maintain sodium and chlorine in the root and prevent its transfer to the aerial parts can tolerate salinity stress.