Research Article, J Plant Physiol Pathol Vol: 4 Issue: 3
Comparative Study of Salinity Effect on Some Tunisian Barley Cultivars at Germination and Early Seedling Growth Stages
| Najoua Abdi1,3*, Salma Wasti2, Amor Slama3, Moncef Ben Salem4, Mouldi El Faleh5, Elhem Mallek-Maalej1,3 | |
| 1Laboratory of Biotechnology Applied to Agriculture (LB2A). National Agronomic Research Institute of Tunisia (INRAT), Hédi Karray Street, 2049 Ariana, Tunisia | |
| 2Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, 2092, Tunis,Tunisia | |
| 3Science Faculty of Bizerte (F.S.B.) 7021 Jarzouna, Tunisia | |
| 4National Agronomic Research Institute of Tunisia (INRAT), Hédi Karray Street, 2049 Ariana,Tunisia | |
| 5Field Crop Laboratory, National Agronomic Research Institute of Tunisia (INRAT), Hédi Karray Street, 2049 Ariana, Tunisia | |
| Corresponding author : Najoua Abdi
Science Faculty of Bizerte (F.S.B.) 7021 Jarzouna, Laboratory of Biotechnology Applied to Agriculture (LB2A). National Agronomic Research Institute of Tunisia (INRAT),Hédi Karray Street, 2049 Ariana, Tunisia Tel: (216)50 380 186 Fax: (216) 72 590 566 E-mail: abdinajoua@yahoo.fr |
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| Received: April 02, 2016 Accepted: May 31, 2016 Published: June 05, 2016 | |
| Citation: Abdi N, Wasti S, Slama A, Salem MB, Faleh ME, et al. (2016) Comparative Study of Salinity Effect on Some Tunisian Barley Cultivars at Germination and Early Seedling Growth Stages. J Plant Physiol Pathol 4:3. doi:10.4172/2329-955X.1000151 |
Abstract
In the present study we investigate the effect of two NaCl concentrations (100 and 200 mM) on the germination, growth (dry weight production, leaf area, water content) and physiology (ion content, proline and soluble sugar concentrations), chlorophyll content and fluorescence of three Tunisian barely cultivars: Rihane, Kounouz and Lemsi. Seeds were germinated and grown in Petri dishes on filter paper with solution of the respective treatment, then carried and grown out in pots under semi-controlled conditions. The barley cultivars were grown with 3 different treatments NaCl 0 mM as control, 100 mM and 200 mM of NaCl, added to the Hoagland’s nutrient solution. Salt stress decreased, daily germination, dry weight, leaf area, leaf water content and K+ contents in all varieties. Indeed, as salinity increased, a progressive and a significant increase of proline and Na+ contents were observed. Based on the Germination stress tolerance index (GSI), Kounouz cultivar tolerates the best salinity at germination stage. However, at tillering stage, the Sensitivity index (SI) shows that Rihane is the most tolerant cultivar. Indeed, it accumulates the highest content of proline in leaves as compared with the other cultivars and its accumulation rose with the increasing salt concentration and kept the higher K+/Na+ ratio.
