phs-202203-0009 ArticleInAPeriodical 2022 Photosynthetica 60 3 https://ps.ueb.cas.cz/artkey/phs-202203-0009.php https://doi.org/10.32615/ps.2022.030 400-407 XUEZ.C. WANGY. LIUJ. Systematic salt tolerance-related physiological mechanisms of wild soybean and their role in the photosynthetic activity and Na⁺ distribution of grafted soybean plants Systematic salt tolerance-related physiological mechanisms in roots and shoots of halophyte Dongying wild soybean have not yet been thoroughly studied. In this study, photosynthesis, modulated 820-nm reflection, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and Na⁺ distribution in cultivated (G_mc) and wild (G_sw) soybean leaves of grafted soybean plants were investigated after NaCl treatment. Results showed that the decreases in photosynthetic rate, performance index, active P₇₀₀ content, and plastocyanin reduction were significantly greater in the G_sw leaves than those in the G_mc leaves. The observed increases in the Na⁺concentration in the G_sw leaves were likely responsible for the severe decrease in the photosynthetic activity of grafted plants. We suggest that Na⁺ accumulation in G_sw roots, which prevents the transport of Na⁺ from the roots to the shoots, effectively maintains the concentration of Na⁺at a comparatively low level in the leaves to prevent the destruction of the photosynthetic apparatus by salt.