Determination of salt tolerance level of Araz wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar concerning germination and growth parameters

Abstract

As a result of climate change, an increased reliance on irrigation will be necessary for more arable lands. This will lead to elevated soil salinity levels, which will subsequently have a detrimental impact on both seed germination and plant growth. The primary aim of this research is to establish the threshold of salt tolerance in the Araz wheat cultivar (Triticum aestivum L.), using it as a representative example to delineate salt tolerance levels in other agricultural crop varieties. Araz is a widely cultivated wheat variety in Iraq and Kurdistan, and its salt tolerance was assessed by subjecting it to three different salt solutions: 0.01, 0.02, and 0.05 mol L^-1, which corresponded to 0.9, 1.82, and 4.6 EC (dS m^-1), respectively. The findings demonstrated notable impacts of the 0.01 mol L^-1 salt concentration on germination and associated seedling parameters, with the exception of seed water uptake. The results indicated no discernible differences between the effects of 0.01 mol L^-1 and 0.02 mol L^-1 salt levels on the radicle's fresh weight. However, as salt levels increased to 0.05 mol L^-1 , the adverse effects on growth became more pronounced. A salinity level of 4.6 EC (dS m^-1) was found to significantly inhibit both germination and seedling growth, indicating that the Araz variety is sensitive to this level of soil salt concentration. This suggests that the recommended soil condition for cultivating Araz should have an electrical conductivity (EC) of less than 4.6 dS m^-1.