Characterization of tall wheatgrass families with different salt tolerance

PLAZA, JUAN; MACIEL, MARIA; PISTORALE, SUSANA; ANDRÉS, ADRIANA

Pergamino

Congreso; 9TH INTERNATIONAL HERBAGE SEED CONFERENCE; 2017

UNNOBA-INTA

Tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum [Podp.] Barkworth et Dewey) is a valuable forage resource to use in marginal environments with saline soils. Salinity is one of the major stresses that severely limit crop production. To overcome this problem, salinity tolerance of crop plants needs to be increased to enable them to grow on marginal areas already affected by salinity. Tall wheatgrass families (HSF) with contrasting response to salinity were previously reported, both growing in hydroponic and in potted-saline soil (CE= 5dS/m, PH= 7,5) in the greenhouse conditions. These reports provided useful information for selecting salt tolerant genotypes. Three groups (3HSF/group) with different salinity tolerance (Tolerant; Susceptible; Intermediate) were conformed and tested under spaced plant conditions to assess seed yield potential. Characterization was carried on in a randomized block design with four replicates, at Pergamino, north of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Attributes evaluated within each group were: flowering date, plant height, leaf width and length, spike number, spikelet/spike number, spike length, total seed weight, and 1000 seed weight. Analysis of variance was performed using SAS statistical program and genetic parameters were estimated. There were differences (P