Abstract
Abstract: At the Crop Physiology Lab, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tripoli, Libya. (February 2022), Salinity effects were evaluated on seed germination and seedling growth bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) variety Utique. The seeds were grown in Petri dishes to five levels of electrical conductivity (Ec) 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 ds/m, with three replicates. The data for the water uptake percentage, germination percentage, shoot length (cm), root length (cm), dry weight of root (g) and dry weight of shoot (g) was measured eight days after germination. The experimental statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA (P<0.05). Based on the ANOVA results, a DUNCAN test was performed to compare means. The results show that the water uptake by seeds has a direct relationship with increases in NaCl levels. Where the highest water uptake level was recorded at low concentrations of NaCl. By increasing NaCl concentration, seed germination is delayed and decreased. Increasing NaCl concentrations adversely affected shoot length and root length and also, adversely affected shoot dry weight and root dry weight. Probably, it was the delay in germination was mainly due to higher Na+ accumulation in the seeds rather than osmotic stress in bread wheat. Keywords: Salinity, NaCl, Germination, water uptake, Bread wheat.