Seedling Stage Screening of Maize (Zea mays L.) Hybrids Against Salinity Stress

Abbas Shoukat1,2, Ali Hamza2, Muhammad Khuram Imtiaz2, Mohibe ul Hussnain Asad2 and Mustafa Khan2

1Institute of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Kiel University, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 2, 24118 Kiel, Germany, 2Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan

Abstract

Salinity is a stress factor and hot issue for the agriculture globally. Increasing population is an alarming for crop production. Therefore, considerable attention is present in salt tolerance mechanism and enhanced the performance of plant under soil salinity. Maize (Zea mays L.) is 3rd imperative cereal crop and is grown under wide-ranging of soil and climate condition. A hydroponic experiment was carried out in green house of Institute of Soil and Environmental Science, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) to screening out Maize genotypes under different salinity levels. Nineteen maize cultivars (Pioneer 32F10, Pioneer 33H25, Pioneer 32B33, Pioneer 30Y87, ICI-8288, ICI-339, FH-1012, FH-1360, FH-1471, FH-1280, KALAK, MALKA, Monsanto-6714, Monsanto-661, UAF DH 17/21, UAF DH 32/1, UAF DH 40/3, UAF DH 29/36) were grown under 2 levels of salinity (50 mM and 100mM) with control treatment. Crop duration was six weeks and growth parameters (root and shoot length, fresh and dry weights), chlorophyll contents, Na+/ K+ conc. in leaves were observed. Complete randomized design with factorial following four replications was used and found that plant growth, physiological factors and chlorophyll contents significantly reduced with increase in salt stress. Among nineteen cultivars FH-1280, UAF DH 32/1 and UAF DH 17/21 were found salt tolerant, While FH-1012, Pioneer 30Y87 and FH-1360 were found most susceptible. The selected cultivars could be grown under natural atmosphere in saline soil to get better yield.