An assessment of the salt tolerance of wheat/Thinopyrum bessarabicum 5Eb addition and substitution lines

Lines of Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring carrying an additional chromosome 5E^b from Thinopyrum bessarabicum or having chromosome 5A or 5D replaced by chromosome 5E^b were screened in hydroculture for tolerance to salt. The previously reported tolerance of the 5E^b addition line was confirmed and the two substitution lines were shown to have a higher level of survival in 175 mol/m³ NaCl than both the addition and the ‘Chinese Spring’ parent. Reasons for the better tolerance of the substitutions are discussed.