Interactive Effects of Salinity and Atmospheric Humidity on the Growth of Bean and Cotton Plants

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Abstract
The hypothesis that a large part of the reduction in plant growth on saline media is the result of the combined suppressing action of salinity and transpiration on plant water potential was tested by comparing the effect of salinity on plant growth under conditions of low and high atmospheric humidity. Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Gossypium hirsutum L. were grown on subirrigated sand cultures under controlled conditions. Control cultures were irrigated with a complete base nutrient, saline cultures with base nutrient containing 72 meq NaCl per liter. The shoots were exposed continuously from the early seedling stage to either dry or humid air. As predicted by the hypothesis, high humidity consistently relieved the suppressive effect of salinity, almost completely in the case of cotton, without greatly altering the ion content of the tissues on a dry-weight basis.

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