Comparative Effects of Salt and Water Stress on Seed Germination and Early Embryo Growth in Two Cultivars of Sweet Sorghum |
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| Authors: | C Patanè A Saita O Sortino |
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| Institution: | 1. CNR‐Istituto per i Sistemi Agricoli e Forestali del Mediterraneo (ISAFoM), Sede di Catania, , Italy;2. Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Agrarie e Alimentari (DISPA), Università degli Studi di Catania, , Italy |
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| Abstract: | In semiarid regions of the Mediterranean basin, water and salinity stresses restrict crop establishment. The effects of salt and water stress on seed germination and early embryo growth (radicle and shoot growth) were investigated in laboratory in two cultivars of sweet sorghum Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] – cv. ‘90‐5‐2′ and cv. ‘Keller’ – to verify how these stresses may limit crop growth during the very early stages of growing season. Six water potentials (ψ) of the imbibition solution (from 0 to ?1.0 MPa) in NaCl or polyethylene glycol (PEG) for salt and water stress tests, respectively, were studied. Daily germination was recorded, and radicle and shoot lengths and dry weights (DWs) were measured 2 days after initial germination. Seed germination was reduced (8–30% lower than control) by water stress at ψ
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| Keywords: | base water potential germination radicle growth salt stress sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L ) Moench] water stress |
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