Evaluating salinity tolerance in progeny of domestic and wild barley crosses at the seedling growth stage

Abstract

Abstract Salinity is one of the most detrimental abiotic stresses affecting crop productivity worldwide. To identify barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genotypes with satisfactory production under increased salinity, screening must focus on multiple phenological stages, specifically the earliest stages (germination and seedling), when plants are most vulnerable to stress. This experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to assess salinity tolerance of 161 genotypes (34 genotypes of 2× H. vulgare crosses; 116 genotypes of 4× H. vulgare crosses, and 11 parents). Beginning at the third leaf stage, seedlings were irrigated with solutions of 0, 100, 200, and 300 mM NaCl for 21 d. Analysis of variance showed significant effects due to genotype, salinity level, and their interaction for shoot dry weight (SDW). Overall, SDW showed negative association with plant height, whereas it was positively associated with tiller number, fertility, 100‐seed weight, and grain yield. Mean SDW of all families decreased as salinity treatment level increased. Families varied in SDW and salinity susceptibility index (SSI) at 300 mM salinity treatment. Diploid Families 2 and 3 had the greatest SDW and lowest SSI (<1). Thirty percent of crosses from tetraploid Family 2 yielded the greatest SDW, whereas the same proportion of crosses from tetraploid Family 4 showed the greatest salinity tolerance as measured by SSI. These crosses, as well as the female parents, are valuable germplasm for improving salinity tolerance in barley breeding programs.