Photosynthetic parameters as secondary selection traits during plant breeding for salt stress tolerance

High salt concentration is important abiotic stress factor that negatively affect plant growth and development and finally also their yield. Increase of plant tolerance to this stress factor is thus one of the most important goals in breeding programmes, particularly in areas with saline environment. Various physiological traits have been suggested for the testing of plant tolerance to improved salinity. Photosynthetic parameters play undoubtedly the main role, because of their rapid response to stress conditions. Generally, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence belong to the photosynthetic parameters, that are usually recommended for the evaluation of stress tolerance. All of them were also used for study of salt tolerance in crop plants. The advantages of these measurements are rapidity, non-invasive techniques and particularly, the possibility to test wide collection of genotypes during the short period. Although some of the parameters were recommended for the evaluation of stress tolerance, the results are still ambiguous. The aim of this study was to briefly describe the changes of selected photosynthetic parameters of different plant species in consequence of salt stress and assess the usefulness of these parameters for reliable screening for salt tolerance