Abstract: The effects of NaCl stress on the activity of anti-oxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD),ascorbate peroxidase (APX), monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and glutathione reductase (GR)), anti-oxidant molecules (ascorbate and glutathione), and parameters of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde (MDA), electrolyte leakage, and H2O2 concentrations) were investigated in Cakile maritima, a halophyte frequent along the Tunisian seashore. Seedlings were grown in the presence of salt (100, 200, and 400 mmol/L NaCl). Plants were harvested periodically over 20 days. Growth was maximal in the presence of 0–100 mmol/L NaCl. At 400 mmol/L NaCl, growth decreased significantly. The salt tolerance of C. maritima, at moderate salinities, was associated with the lowest values of the parameters indicative of oxidative stress, namely the highest activities of POD, CAT, APX, DHAR, and GR and high tissue content of ascorbate and glutathione. However, prolonged exposure to high salinity resulted in a decrease in anti-oxidant activities and high MDA content, electrolyte leakage, and H2O2 concentrations. These results suggest that anti-oxidant systems participate in the tolerance of C. maritima to moderate salinities.

Key words: anti-oxidant activities, ascorbate, glutathione, halophyte, lipid peroxidation, salt tolerance