The Significance of Salinity Level on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Selected Commiphora Species in Yabello district, Southern Ethiopia

The experiment was carried out in Wanja Public Nursery sites in Gera, Southwest Ethiopia; in transparent plastic greenhouses on pots and laboratory for Commiphora boranensis, Commiphora habessinica and Commiphora corrugate species by using complete random block design with four treatments and five replications. All salinity levels (control, 8, 16 and 24dS/m) were then applied to each species with 5 replications making 20 treatments among the total of 60 pots. Data was collected on root and shoot length, root length density, root and shoot biomass by destructive methods. Germination percentage was recorded on completion of germination in lab. All data were tested at P < 0.05 for significant differences.C. corrugate and C. boranensis recorded only 0 and 11.4% seed germination, respectively at 24dS/m salinity level, and C. habessinica was more tolerant to salinity with 50.13% germination at 24dS/m. As salinity increased to 24dS/m ECe, the shoot length of C. corrugate was null. The result of C. habessinica recorded the highest shoot dry matter at control level and was radically declined to 2.05g and 1.43g at 16ds/m and 24ds/m levels respectively, while shoot dry matter of C. corrugate and C. habessinica at24ds/m showed no statistical differences.No statistical differences were observed between C. boranensis and C. corrugate at 8ds/m for root length and density. As salinity increased to 24dS/m, the root dry matter decreased for all species.Generally, C. habessinica showed best tolerance in salinity increment followed by C. boranensis and C. corrugate respectively.