THE EFFECT OF SALINITY ON SEED GERMINATION AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF CHICK PEA ARSHI KAUSER & DR. ASHOK KUMAR The Effect of Salinity on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Chick Pea

Salinity is one of the environmental factors that has a critical influence on the germination of halophyte seeds and plant establishment. Salinity affects imbibition, germination and root elongation. However, the way in which NaCl exerts its influence on these vital processes, whether it is through an osmotic effect or a specific ion toxicity, is still not resolved. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of salinity on germination and seedling growth of Chick Pea collected from different populations. Germination studies with Chick Pea indicated that each increase in salinity up to 1.5 % NaCl caused a reduction in germination in both scarification and stratification + light treatments, with no seeds germinating at 2 % NaCl. Stratified seeds without light did not germinate in any of the treatments. Seeds originating from parents growing at low, medium, and high salinity field sites differed in their response to salinity stress. At 2 % NaCl, seeds originating from all three seed sources failed to germinate. Each increment in salinity caused a decline in seedling height, but the decrease was 61 % at 1.5 % NaCl for the low salt population, 77 % for the medium salt population and only 38 % for the high salt population