Assessing morphological and physiological responses of local and exotic Rice varieties to salinity stress
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the differential morphological and physiological responses of local and exotic rice varieties growing in arid and semi-arid climates under soil salinity stress. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replicates and conducted in a greenhouse under natural conditions at the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences (lath house), Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan, during 2023. The pot experiment involved two exotic rice varieties (BR-61 and BR-47) and one local variety (Al-Khalid), tested under two salinity treatments: control (non-saline) and saline (EC = 10 dS m⁻¹). Data on various growth parameters - such as shoot and root length, shoot and root fresh and dry weights, chlorophyll content, and ionic concentrations (Ca²⁺, Na⁺, and K⁺) in leaf tissues - were collected and analyzed statistically using factorial CRD. The results indicated that exposure to NaCl stress significantly reduced shoot and root growth while increasing Na⁺ concentration in the plants. Among the tested varieties, BR-61 exhibited the highest shoot and root dry weight (8.0 g and 1.0 g, respectively), while BR-47 showed the lowest root dry weight (5.6 g and 0.6 g). The maximum Na⁺ concentration (348.7 ppm) in leaf sap was observed in Al-Khalid, which was approximately twice the control, while the minimum (157.4 ppm) was found in BR-61. BR-61 also recorded the highest K⁺ concentration (77.1 ppm), while BR-47 had the lowest (62 ppm) under saline conditions. Based on the findings, the rice varieties were classified into salt-tolerant (BR-61) and moderately tolerant (BR-47 and Al-Khalid) categories at the 10 dS m⁻¹ NaCl level. These insights could be valuable in formulating strategies to enhance salinity stress tolerance in rice varieties and optimize their physiological performance, particularly chlorophyll content, under saline conditions.
Authors: Muhammad Haider Jamal, Mehwish Sanaullah, Muhammad Arif, TanveerUl Haq, Khurram Mubeen
Institution: Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6949485767
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