EVALUATION OF RICE GENOTYPES UNDER SALT STRESS AT THE SEEDLING AND REPRODUCTIVE STAGES USING PHENOTYPIC AND MOLECULAR MARKERS

Salinity screening for 27 rice genotypes was performed at the seedling and reproductive stages respectively, in the hydroponic system and in sustained water bath. Three selected SSR markers were used to determine salinity tolerance in rice genotypes. Phenotyping of the germplasm was done at EC 12dS/m and 6dS/m at seedling and reproductive stages, respectively. Based on modified standard evaluation score for visual salt injury at seedling stage, eight genotypes were salt tolerant, four were moderately tolerant and the rest fifteen were susceptible. At the reproductive stage, six genotypes were tolerant to EC 6dS/m whereas eleven of them were susceptible. SSR based marker identified seven genotypes as tolerant but ten of them were susceptible for all three markers compared to two checks. Six genotypes were tolerant in both phenotypic and SSR screening. The indentified salt tolerant genotypes can be potential germplam sources for future breeding program.