Salt tolerance in red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) seedlings

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of salt stress on germination of 28 red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) populations collected from Black Sea Region of Turkey. Seeds were germinated in 0, 60, 120, 180 and 240 mM NaCl concentration. Germination percentage (%), mean germination time (MGT), promptness index (PI), root and shoot length (mm) were measured to determine the salinity tolerance on red clover populations. The results showed that as the salt concentration increased, germination percentage decreased in all populations, moreover, seeds could not germinate in 240 mM NaCl. Mean germination time increased with increasing NaCl level. Populations 17 and 19 were best suited for germination under the range of salinity stress in this study. The population 17 gave the highest PI, while population 19 produced the longest root at 180 mM NaCl concentration.Key words: Forage plant, germination, salinity, promptness index