Plasticity of Morpho-Physiological Traits and Antioxidant Activity of Hydroponically Sprouted Hordeum vulgare L. When Using Saline Water

Water salinity is a critical cause of the decrease in quality of fodder plants. The use of saline water as an alternative to fresh water requires the production of elite plant varieties that can tolerate excess amounts of sodium chloride. In this study, we evaluated six genotypes of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) used as sprout fodder for their tolerance to saline water conditions. The six genotypes were tested for their germination vigor, alpha-amylase activity, root system architecture (RSA) phenotyping, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content (ChC), reactive oxygen species accumulation (ROS), and total antioxidant capacity. Increasing the salt concentration caused a significant decrease in the germination time, alpha-amylase activity, germination percentage, ChC, and RWC of all the genotypes, but significant differences in the RSA and ChC were detected. In addition, the plasticity of these characteristics at the seedling stage increased their potential to select varieties that could produce high amounts of green fodder when fresh water alternatives are used. Strong and positive correlations were detected between the green carpet formed under the salt treatment and ChC at the seedling stage for a local genotype and G134.