Comparative study of wheat genotypes under salt stressed conditions based on physiological and yield indices
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Soil salinity affects crop yield and jeopardizes the food security of the upcoming generations. Globally, more than 3% of top soil and 6% of subsoils are damaged by salt, and this number is steadily rising. Wheat, a major staple crop consumed by approximately 1/3rd of the global population contributes significantly in preventing hunger. With expanding salt affected areas, it is absolutely necessary to be able to grow wheat crops on salt affected areas in order to feed the growing population. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to identify crops which can thrive salinity conditions and produce high yield. In order to find salt-tolerant genotypes, we have screened 49 wheat genotypes under salinity stress using growth, yield, biochemical, and root morphological parameters. Significant variations were found in plant dry mass, plant height, relative water content, stomatal frequency, root morphological traits and 100 seed weight among all the genotypes. With the highest tolerance index, V1 was identified as the most tolerant genotype, and V49 was found to be the most-susceptible. Root morphological traits significantly correlated with 100-seed weight, plant dry mass, starch and carbohydrate content while it negatively correlated with hydrogen peroxide content. This suggests the positive role of resistance in root morphological traits in enhancing salt stress resilience. The tolerant genotypes could be further investigated to determine the processes underlying salt tolerance and for upcoming breeding initiatives.