Ion partitioning and Mg2+/Na+ ratio under salt stress application in cotton

The response of five cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) varieties Aleppo118 (A118), Aleppo33/1 (A33/1), Aleppo90 (A90), Raqqa5 (Raq5) and Deir-Ezzor22 (DE22) to salt stress (0, 50, 100 and 200 NaCl) was studied in a pot experiment, in terms of their ionic distribution for 56 days. Leaves and roots of DE22 exhibited the lowest Na+ and Cl- and the highest leaf Mg2+ contents conversely to A118. based on this investigation, there was no relationship between Ca2+ content and salt tolerance of different cotton varieties. Leaf and root Mg2+/Na+ ratios were decreased as salinity level increased for all tested varieties. In this respect, the highest value for the previous indicators was recorded in DE22 while the lowest one was recorded in A118. Thereby, among all tested varieties, DE22 variety relatively performed better under salinity compared to the other varieties