PERFORMANCE OF SORGHUM [SORGHUM BICOLOR (L.) MOENCH] UNDER SALT STRESS
S. DEVI*, SATPAL, H. S. TALWAR, RAMPRAKASH AND V. GOYAL
Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Forage Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding,
Department of Soil Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
ICAR-Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad
*(e-mail : devisaritaa@gmail.com)
(Received : 20 November 2018; Accepted 26 December 2018)
SUMMARY
Present investigation was carried out to evaluate the effect of salt stress on physiological maturity of sorghum genotypes. Tolerance of different genotypes depends on the ability to avoid
harmful salt accumulation. It is moderately salt tolerant crop, more than maize and less than barley. Hence, its salt tolerance potential can be exploited for reclamation of saline soils. In order to select best suited dual purpose sorghum genotypes, twenty (SPH 1798, SPH 1858 (SS), SPH 1892, SPH 1893, SPH 1895, SPH 2324, SPH 2458, SPV 2462, SPV 2524, SPV 2525, SPV 2526, SPV 2527, SPV 2530, SPV 2531, CSV 19 SS (C), CSH 24 SS (C), HJ-541, HJ-513, SSG 59-3, HC-308) sorghum genotypes were sown in controlled conditions. Salt levels (8, 10 dS m-1) were maintained by saturating the pots with desired levels of salinity and control pots with canal water. Plant height, no. of leaves, total biomass, total dry weight and grain yield were observed at physiological maturity. Some of the genotypes viz. SPH 2324, SPV 2462, SPV 2525, SPV 2526, SPV 2530 and HJ 513 were not able to survive at higher salinity level (10 dS m-1) and couldn’t yield significantly. The genotype SPH 2324 even did not survive at 8 dS m-1 of salt stress. Decreasing trend was noticed in plant height, no. of leaves, total biomass, total dry weight and grain yield with increment of salt stress over control. The sorghum genotypes i.e. SPH 1798, SPH 1858 (SS), SPH 1892, SPH 1893, SPH 1895, SPH 2458, SPV 2524, SPV 2527, SPV 2531, CSV 19 SS (C), CSH 24 SS (C), HJ-541, SSG 59-3, HC-308 were found
healthier up to physiological maturity at 10 dS m-1 of salt level. Their superior performance was estimated mainly due to the physiological screening tools like high total fresh biomass (g) and total dry weight (g) at physiological maturity. The sorghum genotypes (SPH 1858(SS), SPV 2462, CSH 24SS(C), HJ 541) set seeds at 8 and 10 dS m-1 of salt stress and were found tolerant under salt stress.
Key words: Salt stress, sorghum, physiological maturity, seed yield