THULASI BAI VADITHE, SEVA NAYAK DHEERAVATHU, SRAVANTHI G., KETHAVATH MADHUDEEPIKA, AVINASH S, SAIDA NAIK VADITHE, SRINIVAS A, USHA, T. N., MANASA V, BANDEPPA S. AND A. JYOTHI
ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad-500 030 (Telangana), India
ANGRAU-Agricultural Research Station, Jangameswarapuram, Palanadu-522 415 (Andhra Pradesh), India
Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Iruvakki, Sagara (Tq), Shivamogga (Karnataka), India577 412
Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad-500 030 (Telangana), India
5Department of Microbiology, Visakha Government Degree College for Women (A) Visakhapatnam-530 020 (Andhra Pradesh), India
*(e-mail: sevanayak2005@gmail.com)
(Received: 10 August 2025; Accepted: 20 September 2025)
SUMMARY
Salinity stress is one of the major abiotic factor that significantly impairs sorghum germination and growth of the seedling. In the present investigation, ten sorghum varieties were tested for salinity stress tolerance at seedling stage. Under control conditions exhibited high germination rates (up to 97% in CSV-21 and CSV-38F), germination percentage declined progressively with rising salinity, with no variety achieving 100% germination at 200 mM. Root-to-shoot ratio was also affected, peaking in CSV-32F (3.86) and CSV-38F (2.85) at 150 mM. Shoot and root lengths decreased significantly under salt stress, with CSV-21 exhibiting maximum shoot length (14.6 cm) and PC-615 recording the highest root length (5.83 cm) in controls. Seedling biomass was severely impacted, with fresh weight (0.23 g in CSV-38F) and dry weight (0.09 g in CSV-32F) declining markedly at 200 mM. Varieties CSV- 38F and CSV-32F demonstrated relative tolerance, suggesting potential for cultivation in saline- prone areas. These insights underscore the need for salt-tolerant sorghum genotypes to sustain productivity under abiotic stress.
Key words: Germination percentage, root to shoot ratio, salinity, sorghum seedling vigour index