Assesment of salt tolerance of a collection of sorghum genotypes

The area of solonetzes in the Central Ciscaucasia is 1.5 million hectares. Salinity of the soil is one of the main abiotic stresses that do reduce agricultural productivity. Laboratory methods determined the level of salt tolerance in 81 new varieties, lines, hybrids of sorghum and sorghum-sudank combinations with exogenous exposure to NaCl in doses of 0.1%; 0.15%; 0.3%; 0.6%; 1.0%; 1.5%. Studies showed that the concentration of sodium chloride solution of 0.15% and 0.3% in a main part of the studied samples does not significantly reduce laboratory germination, the size of the roots and stems of sorghum. The dose of saline 1.0% NaCl reduces the laboratory germination of sorghum seeds to 33-93%. In 15 samples studied, this trait had a value of 33-60%. 19 pieces were obtained of medium sensitive samples of sorghum with a germination rate of 60 to 80%. 47 variants had a germination rate of more than 80%. It was set to the maximum at numbers K-9693, K-1596, Volzhskoe 51, Kinelskoe 3, Listvenny and exceeded 91%. A significant amount of the studied samples of sorghum can be grown on soils with a salt concentration of 1%. In the presence of 1.5% NaCl in the solution, the highest seed germination rates were obtained for K-1596 (59%), K-9693 (56%), Yantar krasny (40%), K-4015 (45%), Capitan (34 %), Larets (29%), Listvenny (30%), Sahara (28%), Kinelskoe 3 (41%), K-1358 (23%), K-115 (18%). It is advisable to use them in future breeding programs.