Effect of NaCl and polyethylene glycol on solute content and glycosidase activities during germination of lentil seeds

Lentil seeds were sown in water and with different concentrations of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 or NaCl. Radicle emergence and growth were delayed by these substances. In cotyledons under stress no variations in solutes occurred, whereas in embryonic axes an accumulation of soluble sugars was observed. The major constituents of the soluble carbohydrates were sucrose, galactose and mannose. Glycosidase activities were not significantly affected in PEG‐ or NaCl‐germinatcd seeds, except axis α‐galactosidase, whose activity during axis growth was higher under stress. Water and salt stress did not have a marked effect on carbohydrate metabolism in intact seedlings. The rate of release of 14 C from [6‐ 14 C]‐glucose was similar in the stressed seeds and in the control seeds.