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SALINITY TOLERANCE OF WHEAT THROUGH SEED TREATMENT WITH DILUTED AND POTENTIZED SODIUM CHLORIDE

M. ISHAQ KHAN AND FARIDA ASIM

Abstract: Sodium chloride is known to inhibit the mitotic activity (Kuliava et al., 1975), reduce the leaf area of plants due to the reduction in cell size (Meiri & PoljakoffMayber, 1967) and decrease the dry weight of whole plants by reducing its osmotic potential (Nukayz et al., 1987). The main cause of NaCl-induced growth inhibition is the difficulty in uptake of mineral nutrients due to competition with Na ⁺ (Solovev, 1969). Bernstein (1964) classified salinity effects as toxic, osmoic and nutritional which in terms of stress terminology, the first one is a primary salt injury while the later two are secondary salt induced stresses. Primary injury due to NaCl salinity is increased by salt uptake. In raspberry, cr accumulated more in NaCl-treated plants than the Na+ and therefore cr injury occured earlier and was more severe than Na+ injury (Ehlig, 1964). Tagawa & Ishizaka (1963) also concluded that the primary cause of salt injury to rice on transfer to 1 % NaCl solution was due to cr accumulation in the shoots.

Homeonathic Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi-75270, Pakistan.