Brassica chinensis L. were foliarly applied with glycinebetaine (GB), as this species is unable to synthesis GB and sensitive to osmotic stress such as salt. The exogenous GB was easily absorbed and transported by the leaf of B. chinensis . Its application (0-20 mmol/L) enhanced the plant tolerance to salt stress. The treatment of 15 mmol/L GB significantly decreased the Na + accumulation in leaf and root under NaCl stress. This difference in accumulating Na + and K + is caused by higher selectivity of root absorption. Furthermore, GB increased H +_ATPase activity of root plasma membrane evidently. This result strongly suggested that in root the decreased Na + accumulation was caused by the GB accumulation that enhanced the extrusion of Na + from the cell in some way through plasma membrane transporter, e.g. Na +/H + antiport driven by H +_ATPase. The GB application was also found to stabilize the plasma membrane, to decrease the loss of chlorophyll, and to stimulate the osmosis induced proline response under salt stress.
