Germination Characters and Early Seedling Growth ofWheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes under Salt StressConditions

摘要

Screening of wheat genotypes as salt tolerance through seed germination and early seedling growth is crucial for theirevaluation. Seeds of 20 wheat genotypes were germinated in Petri dishes on a sand bed irrigated with saline (15 dS m-1) andcontrol solutions for 10 days and also tested at different salinity levels (control, 4, 6, 8, and 10 dS m-1) which were artificiallydeveloped in the soil for 30 days. At 10 days, germination percentage, rate of germination, co-efficient of germination,germination vigor index, shoot length, root length, and seedling dry weight were found to be affected due to salinity. Salttolerance index (STI) for seedling dry weight maintained a significant positive correlation with rate of germination, germinationvigor index, shoot length, and root length, which indicates that these parameters could be used as selection criteria for screeningwheat genotypes against salt stress. Significant differences in shoot length, root length, and seedling dry weight in 30-day-oldseedlings were observed among selected wheat genotypes as well. From the overall observation of germination characters andearly seedling growth, it was concluded that the wheat genotypes including Gourab, Shatabdi, Bijoy, Prodip, BARI Gom 26,BAW 1186, and BAW 1189 showed better salt tolerance as compared to others.