干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Losses of arable lands due to increasing soil salinization over the world are increasing and fresh water recourses are diminishing. Viable imperative option is to explore potential of halophytic plants like quinoa in semi-arid and arid agro ecologies where crop production is severely affected. Therefore, preliminary study was conducted using NaCl (0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 dS m(-1)) amended soil in pots in wire house of Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad during 2012. 13 to examine the salt tolerance variations of four well adapted quinoa lines (Q1, Q2, Q7, Q9) with the purpose to identify line suitable for further cultivation on salt-affected soils. Data regarding different salt tolerance indices indicated that tolerance was linked to high leaf turgor potential, increased K+ over Na+ uptake and de novo accumulation of osmoprotectants (proline and total phenolics contents) in plant tissues. Lines Q7 and Q2 were more salt tolerant and Q7 gave maximum seed yield at 100 dS m(-1) by maintaining improved growth due to reasonable gas exchange relations under all salt regimes than other two. The large quinoa genetic variability in salinity tolerance opened new avenues to explore it further in different salt affected field conditions. (C) 2017 Friends Science Publishers