Abstract
The main objective of the present study was evaluation of genotypic potential among four sorghum genotypes through the analysis of different growth and nutrients uptake in salt stress. The four sorghum genotypes, JS-2002, Sandalbar, Noor and FJ-115 were utilized in the experiments to study the mechanism of salt tolerance using 0 or 100 mM NaCl stress. The analysis was carried out on growth and different ion concentrations e.g., sodium, potassium, calcium and chlorides of both shoots and roots. The differences among means were calculated and analysis of variance technique was used for comparison of salt tolerance between cultivars. Results showed that salinity adversely affected growth of all four sorghum genotypes. The fresh weight of plants was reduced by salt stress in sorghum. The uptake of toxic compounds was increased in the presence of salt stress as compared with non-stressed plants, which reduced the uptake of essential nutrients for plants. The highest fresh weight of plants and nutrient uptake potential was recorded in Sandalbar closely followed by JS-2002, which indicated these sorghum cultivars as salt tolerant. It is further concluded that the induction of the salt stress in the growth medium cause adverse effect on the growth and uptake of essential nutrients. It was observed that salt stress cause ion toxicity in sorghum plants. These results could be used in sorghum breeding programs to select the most tolerant cultivars. Copyright (C) 2013 - All Rights Reserved