In vitro Growth and Leaf Composition of Grapevine Cultivars as Affected by Sodium Chloride

In vitro proliferated shoot culture of six grape genotypes (Vitis vinifera L.) were screened for tolerance to NaCl (0 to 200 mM). The cv. Perlette was found to tolerate 175 mM NaCl followed by cvs. Pusa Seedless and Beauty Seedless 150 mM NaCl. Na, K, Cl, Ca and Mg content increased upto 100 mM NaCl in most of the genotypes. Total sugar and proline content of stem tissue gradually increased under NaCl stress while leaf chlorophyll a+b content declined. Studies suggest that the in vitro screening procedure can be used for ranking the grape genotypes for salinity tolerance.