The effect of NaCl on stomatal opening in Arabidopsis wild type and agb1 heterotrimeric G-protein mutant plants

Salinity is a major agricultural problem that affects crop yield. Na⁺ is transported to the shoot through the transpiration stream. The mutant of the sole Arabidopsis heterotrimeric G protein β subunit, agb1, is hypersensitive to salinity in part due to a higher transpiration rate. Here, we investigated the direct effect of Na⁺ on stomatal opening using detached epidermal peels of wild type and agb1 plants. In both genotypes, NaCl is equally as effective as KCl in mediating stomatal opening at the concentrations tested. In both genotypes, ABA is less effective in inhibiting Na⁺ mediated stomatal opening than K⁺ mediated stomatal opening. The agb1 mutant is hyposensitive to ABA inhibition of K⁺-mediated but not Na⁺-mediated stomatal opening. These results suggest that the greater transpiration observed in agb1 plants grown in saline conditions is likely not mediated by differential genotypic direct effects of Na⁺ on stomatal apertures.