Germination and Seedling Growth of Seven Local Varieties of Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor L. Moench) under salt stress conditions

Objectives: Salinity has a negative impact on crop production. This study aims to evaluate the effects of salinity on growth of seven varieties of sorghum and to elect most salt tolerant. Methods/Analysis: The performance of some morpho-physiological parameters in 7 local varieties of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) was assessed in greenhouse experiments. Four levels of salt concentration (0, 50, 100, 250 mM) were used in these experiments. Findings: The low level of salinity (50 mM) induced positive effects, significantly accelerating germination and enhanced growth parameters in varieties SOR 2P11 and SOR 1P3. While the increased level of salinity (100 mM) led to a decrease in these parameters for all 7 varieties. At 250 mM of NaCl, the germination was strongly inhibited. On the basis of results obtained, varieties 2P4, 3P4 and 1P3 exhibited more salt tolerance while 3P8 was the most sensitive. This study revealed that there is a different behavior towards the salt tolerance for the 7 local varieties studied of sorghum. Application/Improvements: Results obtained in this study can be of considerable importance for sorghum growing farmers and breeders and a way to expand sorghum cultivation in salinity affected areas. Keywords: Germination, NaCl, Seedling Growth, Sorghum Bicolor L. Salt Stress