Effect of salinity stress on germination and growth parameters of seedlings of Securigera securidaca L.

A major problem of arid and semi-arid regions is environmental stresses like salinity. To study the effect of salinity on germination characteristics of Securigera securidaca L., a completely randomized experiment was conducted under controlled conditions (germinator) with three replications in Department of Agronomy, Birjand Branch of Islamic Azad University, Birjand, Iran in 2011. The experimental treatments included salinity levels (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 ds m-1). The studied traits included seedling length and dry weight, germination percentage and rate, and seed viability index. Means comparison for these traits showed that the application of 8 ds m-1 salinity resulted in the loss of seedling length, seedling weight, germination percentage, germination rate and seed viability index of Securigera securidaca L. seeds by 12.9, 12.4, 13.4, 27 and 15.6% respectively, as compared to control treatment (0 ds m-1 salinity). In total, it can be concluded that salinity stress significantly decreased germination and growth parameters of seedlings of Securigera securidaca L.