EFFECT OF INCREASING SALT CONCENTRATION ON THE GERMINATION CAPACITY OF FIVE WHEAT VARIETIES UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS
MOUHSSINE FATINE *
Laboratory of Agro-Physiology, Biotechnology, Environment and Quality, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, BP133 - Kénitra 14000, Morocco.
OUHADDACH MOUSSA
Laboratory of Agro-Physiology, Biotechnology, Environment and Quality, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, BP133 - Kénitra 14000, Morocco.
EZ-ZRIOULI RABAB
Laboratory of Agro-Physiology, Biotechnology, Environment and Quality, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, BP133 - Kénitra 14000, Morocco.
ZADNI FATIMA ZAHRA
Laboratory of Agro-Physiology, Biotechnology, Environment and Quality, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, BP133 - Kénitra 14000, Morocco.
ELYACOUBI HOUDA
Laboratory of Agro-Physiology, Biotechnology, Environment and Quality, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, BP133 - Kénitra 14000, Morocco.
ROCHDI ATMANE
Laboratory of Agro-Physiology, Biotechnology, Environment and Quality, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, BP133 - Kénitra 14000, Morocco.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A study was assessed to investigate, the effect of different salt stress levels (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 g/l NaCl), on germination capacity of five wheat varieties (Wissam, Nassim, Wafia, Tigre, and Massira) grown in Morocco. The experiments were carried on seeds germinated on filter paper in Petri dishes, and diverse parameters of germination were evaluated, namely are the germination rate (G %), the final germination rate (Gf), the reduction percentage of germination (RPG), the mean daily germination (MDG), the germination rate index (GRI), and the length of coleoptile (C) and roots (R). The variability of wheat response against salinity was relatively large. Statistically, these measures varied significantly under the effects of salinity and variety. Furthermore, the germination tests retained four measures that showed a similar classification of salt concentrations that is, the germination rate, the reduction percentage of germination, the germination rate index and the length of the coleoptiles and the roots. However, proportionately to the variety factor, only three criteria allowed the same hierarchy of different varieties, which are germination rate (G %) and the final germination rate (Gf) and the daily average of germination. Therefore, the G% and the GF parameters demonstrated as primary germination descriptors, to investigate the effect of salinity on germination, while the reduction percentage in germination (RPG), the germination rate index and the mean daily germination (MDG), are considered equally as secondary standards. They have significantly varied under the salinity effect and homogeneously decreased in all varieties simultaneously with specific reactions that allowed the classification of the five varieties. All these parameters describing the germination capacity of wheat’s seeds showed that Massira and Nassim varieties perform better (relatively tolerant) since they recorded the highest values among the five cultivars and the Wissam variety is the most affected by salinity.
Keywords: Germination, Triticum aestivum L., salinity, sensitivity, tolerance.