Cell death and growth recovery of barley after transient salt stress

Nuclear degradation was observed in roots of barley seedlings 24 hr after salt stress with 300 mM NaCl. This stress was lethal for old roots, but individual plants survived through the transient stress, by forming new roots, and restarting shoot elongation after removal of salt stress. Products of DNA degradation (³H-thymidine) in old roots were partially recycled for new tissue formation. This result indicates that cell death may have some physiological roles under transient salt stress.