Adaptive components in desert halophytes Desmostachya bipinnata L.

Desmostachya bipinnata belonging to family Poaceae, also known as Sacrifial grass or Kusha grass and Halfa grass. It has ability to tolerate drought and salt stress with deep reaching, strong rhizome, which makes it a very good sand binder. Salt tolerant grasses may develop a number of morpho-physiological and anatomical modifications; more important are widespread root system and glands that are producing salt on the leaf surface. A study will be conducted to evaluate the degree of tolerance based on morpho-anatomical characteristics in ecologically diverse populations of D. bipinnata from the Punjab region. It is expected that these populations might have developed specific feature to cope with environmental hazards. Morphological characteristics like height of plant, leaf area, leaves per plant and plant dry weight and some anatomical characteristics like root anatomy, stem anatomy, leaf-blade anatomy and leaf-sheath anatomy will be recorded and subjected to appropriate statistical methods. Morphological and anatomical adaptations in plant body are capable of minimizing detrimental effects of salt stress.