Mulberry genotypes were subjected to salinity (0-12 mS cm-1) in pot culture experiment. Chlorophyll and total carotenoid contents were reduced considerably by salinity. At low salinity, photosynthetic CO2 uptake increased over the control, but it decreased at higher salinity. Contents of soluble proteins, free amino acids, soluble sugars, sucrose, starch, and phenols increased at salinity of 1-2 mS cm-1 and decreased at higher salinity (8-12 mS cm-1). Glycine betaine accumulated more than proline, the maximum accumulation of both was at salinity of 2-4 mS cm-1. Among the genotypes studied, BC2-59 followed by S-30 showed better salinity tolerance than M-5. and P. Agastian, S. J. Kingsley, M. Vivekanandan.
Application of the electrostatic precipitator (ESP) dust to soil and leaves of Cajanus cajan, Vigna mungo, Vigna radiata, Vigna catjung and Glycina max increased biomass, chloroplast pigments, Chemical constituents and enzyme activities of leaves, besides crop productivity evidently indicating that the dust acted as a fertilizer. The net photosynthetic rate, photosystem 2 activity and rate of transpiration were not altered in špite of the dust forming a thin uniform coating ověř the leaf surface. The contents of intermediary N-compounds like allantoin, allantoic acid and total ureides of the leaves, which might serve as an indirect evidence of symbiotic N2-fixation, were higher in the treated plants. There were increments in free proline, soluble proteins, total nitrogen, nitrates, nitrites, soluble sugars and phenols in the treated plants. The concentrations of ffee amino acids, soluble starch, total sucrose and water soluble SH compounds of the leaves of the control and treated plants did not show any significant difference. The activity of superoxide dismutase was significantly higher which possibly indicated its role in alleviation of H2O2 and Oj toxicity. Enzymes like nitráte reductase, nitrite reductase, glutamine S3mthetase, acid and alkaline phosphatases, carbonic anhydrase, catalase, glutathione reductase and ascorbate peroxidase also functioned normally. In the treated plants, the concentration of ascorbic acid was significantly higher in the roots and nodules indicating the possible role of ascorbic acid in stress alleviation.