Salinity tolerance of dhaincha genotypes at seed germination and seedling growth

Abstract

To evaluate the germination capability and seedling growth of dhaincha accessions under salt stress, the experiment was conducted at the Plant Physiology Laboratory of the Department of Crop Botany, Bangladesh Agricultural University. The germination test was carried out in Petri dishes following two factorial CRD with four replications. Twenty-five accessions of dhaincha and three salt levels viz., 0 (control), 6 and 12 dSm–1 were used as experimental treatments. The germination percentage, plant height, fresh weight and biomass yield and different stress tolerance indices were recorded and/or calculated to screen the accessions for salt tolerance. Salinity adversely affects the germination behaviour and seedling growth descriptors of dhaincha genotypes; the seed germination was relatively less affected by salt concentrations compared to other growth descriptors. A significant variation among the dhaincha accessions in response to salt stress was also observed. Only germination test was not good enough to screen germplasms for salt tolerance; however, seedling growth especially plant height and biomass accumulation could be a reliable and efficient method for screening dhaincha germplasms for salt tolerance. Based on germination behaviour and biomass yield, five accessions viz. #5, 7, 59, 82 and 85, were selected; these accessions can be used for further breeding programmes and/or cultivation in coastal saline-prone areas with further investigation