Boron & salt allocation and tolerance in foliage of salt-tolerant poplars from the California Central Valley

With a quickly growing world population and raising demand for agricultural products, the productivity of irrigated agricultural soils is threatened as a consequence of soil salinization in many places with arid climates. Main objectives of this research project are to investigate the compartmentation-based mechanisms contributing to tolerance in foliage of poplar trees grown on soils contaminated with elevated levels of Boron and salts in the San Joaquin Valley in Central California. Element allocation at tissue and cell level is studied using micro-analytical methods. The tolerance reactions are being analyzed using different methods in light, fluorescence and electron microscopy. Findings will be compared with elemental concentrations, soil contamination and tree growth data from other project modules. The results should contribute to understanding of the tolerance capacity in poplar and help to target efficient detoxification mechanisms during screening assays of plant material in view of phyto-management of salt- and Boron-polluted ecosystems.