Germination and Early Seedling Growth Attributes of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cultivars under Different Salinity (NaCl) Stresses (Research Note)

Shahid Hussain, Shuli Liu, Rui Zhang, Yinglong Chen, Altaf Adil, and Qigen Dai

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of different salinity stresses [0, 6.4, 12.8, 19.2, and 25.6 dS/m (NaCl)] on the final germination percentage, speed of germination, germination capacity, shoot and root length, seedling vigor index, and total plant dry weight of ten rice cultivars at germination and early seedling stages. Salinity stress significantly decreased the final germination percentage, speed of germination, germination capacity, shoot and root length, and seedling dry weight in all cultivars, with the most severe effects from level 19.2 and 25.6 dS/m NaCl. Rice cultivars were classified as tolerant, moderately tolerant, moderately susceptible, and susceptible based on reduction of dry matter, which is considered as the most limiting factor at high NaCl concentrations. The cultivars NJ9108, 3Y9H, 6Y9H, XD22, 5W01, and HLYH3 showed greater efficiency in salt tolerance during germination at 19.4 dS/m salinity. While 20H025, 6Y9H, and XD22 at the seedling stage performed better based on their dry weight reduction. The study found that NJ9108 and XD22 may be used to investigate the effects of salinity on the development processes and physiological consequences at the advanced stage of growth, as salt tolerance during germination and the early seedling stage may be varied from the developed stages. The results suggest that tolerant rice cultivars can be used to study the effects of salinity on the development and other physiological impacts at vegetative and reproductive stages. These findings will support salt-tolerant rice cultivars that may be developed for better production in terms of coping with salinity stresses in the germination and early growth stages.