Abstract
Cenchrus ciliaris L. is a potential forage grass that is widely distributed in saline desert condition across Africa, Australia and Asia. To investigate the physiological and anatomical responses of Cenchrus ciliaris L. to salinity and nickel stress, plants were collected from their natural habitat and planted in the botanical garden of Government Sadiq College Women University Bahawalpur, Pakistan in a Completely randomized design (CRD). Upon establishment, the plants were subjected to ten treatments, including different concentrations of salinity and nickel. After 15 days different parameters were studied. The results showed stress induces anatomical changes in the root, stem, and leaf to help organisms adapt to harsh environments. In root, salinity stress generally increased while nickel stress decreased phloem and pericycle area. In stem, salinity increased, whereas nickel decreased the areas of the hypodermis, vascular bundle, and sclerenchyma thickness. In leaf, salinity increased the adaxial epidermis, midrib area, bulliform cell, and sclerenchyma thickness, while nickel decreased the area of the metaxylem vessels, bulliform cells, and sclerenchyma thickness. The effects of combined stress varied based on the interaction between salinity and nickel, sometimes stabilizing the impact of each stress.