Abstract
Salt stress alters the meristem size, the mitotic index, the progress of cell division and the size of the cortical cells in wheat roots. The effects are usually more, but not much more pronounced with the sensitive species Triticum aestivum (var. Tanit) than they are with the more tolerant species Triticum durum (var. Ben Béchir). It may be that the main mechanisms responsible for the relative sensitivity/tolerance of wheat to salt stress are not localized in the root system.