Effect of Salinity on Germination, Seedling Growth and Biochemical Responses in Triticum

Effect of different concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) was investigated on Triticum aestivum cultivars WL 711 and PBW 154 along with 8 accessions of Triticum durum. NaCl caused a reduction in root length, shoot length and percentage germination in all cultivars. 200 mM NaCl concentration was found to be more deleterious than 100 mM, for germination in petridishes. In T. durum, the cultivars which performed very poorly in petridishes showed better salt tolerance in soil cultures. Soil cultures with balanced nutrient availability may, therefore, be more suited for experiments on salinity tolerance rather than petridish experiments. No consistent associations were exhibited in the levels of proline and glycine betaine with respect to tolerance to salinity. Sugar content decreased with NaCl treatment in most cultivars. It is suggested that tests with whole plant in soil culture will be a better indicator of salinity tolerance.