REACTION OF MILLET SEEDLINGS TO CHLORIDE SALINIZATION

Proso millet; germination; salt tolerance; wet biomass; salinity; diversity.

Abstract

In the conducted model experiments, the resistance of millet to salt stress was studied. The research included 41 samples of culture of different ecological and geographical origin. A comparative assessment of seedling salt tolerance is given, since seedlings suffer more than adult plants, delaying seed germination due to a decrease in the activity of hydrolytic enzymes in the endosperm. The study had taken into account such traits as seed germination, seedling wet weight, seedling and root length, which are one of the main parameters in assessing plant salt tolerance. The results obtained revealed the negative effect of saline solutions on these indicators. So, when comparing the germination of seeds with the control variant, in many of the studied samples this feature correlated with an increase in the concentration of salinity. Although a similar pattern was observed with experiments on the study of an equally important parameter as the accumulation of raw biomass of millet seedlings, we still managed to identify genotypes that exceeded the control in this trait. As a result of laboratory assessment of salt tolerance, sources recommended for inclusion in breeding programs were identified.