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High levels of salt hinder the productivity of irrigated crops in a large number of regions, mainly in arid and semi-arid areas. In order to find out whether certain local populations of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) show a higher tolerance to salt, a trial was carried out which consisted in exposing 11 local populations to high salt stress. Water used to irrigate the germinating seeds was tested at different salt concentrations: 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 and 350 mM NaCL High NaCl levels significantly reduced the germination rate of seeds. This effect was highly variable among plants from different geographical areas, but also among plants from the same geographical area. Two populations showed a high germination rate at a concentration of 250 mM NaCL