EFFECT OF SALINITY ON YIELD AND ION ACCUMULATION OF WHEAT GENOTYPES

The present study was conducted to investigate the response of different wheat genotypes to salinity stress. Field experiments were conducted at three different locations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan i.e., Yar Hussain, Baboo Dehari (District Swabi) and Khitab Koroona (District Charsadda) to study the performance of 11 wheat genotypes (Local, SR-24, SR-25, SR-7, SR-22, SR-4, SR-20, SR-19, SR-2, SR-23 and SR-40) for their salinity tolerance. These locations had different salinity profile i.e., Yar Hussain, EC. 3-3.5 dSm(-1); Baboo Dehari, EC. 4-4.5 dSm-1 and Khitab Koroona, EC. 5-5.30 dSm-1). Different locations and wheat genotypes had a significant (p<0.05) effect on biological and grain yield, shoot Na+ and K+ concentration (3, 6 and 9 weeks after emergence). Maximum biological and grain yield, maximum shoot K+, and minimum Na+ concentration (3, 6 and 9 weeks after emergence) were recorded in genotype SR-40 followed by genotype SR-23. Our results further indicated that maximum biological and grain yield and minimum shoot K+, Na+ concentrations (3, 6 and 9 weeks after emergence) were recorded at Yar Hussain. Maximum, K+ and Na+ concentration (3, 6 and 9 weeks after emergence) and minimum biological and grain yield were observed at Khitab Koroona.