Evaluation of Wheat Germplasm Against Salts Presence

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a quite salinity tolerance food cereal. Reminiscent of other glycophytes wheat is recognized and documented as salt sensitive plant. Reduced growth, vegetative development, and biomass accumulation in salinity stress condition caused the maximum loss in yield as well as yield components. Salinity retards water and nutrient uptake due to osmotic and ionic imbalance and further plants reduced height, less leaves and tillers as well as reduced yield. A pot study was conducted to evaluate the salt tolerance of wheat varieties under two salinity cum sodicity levels [S1= 3.33dSm-1 +13.44 (mmol L-1)1/2 and S2= 16.05 dSm-1 +40.25 (mmol L-1)1/2].Seeds of ten wheat lines/ varieties namely Galaxy, Punjab 2011,Aquab 2000, Inqlab 91, SARC 1, Punjab 85, Pak 81,LU26S, Kh 65 and KRL 19 were used for screening against salt tolerance in pots with two salinity and sodicity combinations at green house of Land Resources Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan during, 2017-18. Completely randomized deign was applied with three repeats. Data on plant height, chlorophyll contents, 50% days to flowering, number of grains per spikelet and grain yield were collected. Significant differences were observed in plant height parameter among ten wheat varieties under two salinity plus sodicity combinations. Galaxy wheat cultivar attained the highest plant height under both salinity and sodicity treatments SARC-1 showed the highest significant results at S1 and S2. Non-significant data were attained regarding 50% days to flowering meant that no influence of salts on this attribute. At S1 wheat cultivar KRL-19 got the top position significant at par with Galaxy, Kh-65 and Auqab-2000. KRL-19 wheat variety also attained the highest position under S2 level with similar significant values of Kh-65 and Galaxy. At S1 and S2 Punjab-2011 produced the lowest number of grains showing the most salt sensitive wheat variety. Galaxy wheat cultivar produced the maximum grain yield under these two salinity plus sodicity combinations. % decrease at S1over S2 was the lowest showed the most salt tolerance as mentioned in the data that Galaxy wheat variety showed the maximum salt tolerance among these varieties or lines.