Effects of Different Salt Concentrations on Germination and Seedling Growth of Some Sweet Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor var. saccharatum (L.) Mohlenbr.] Cultivars

This study was carried out to determine the effects of different salt concentrations on germination and seedling growth of sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor var. saccharatum (L.) Mohlenbr.] cultivars. The research was carried out under laboratory conditions and sweet sorghum cultivars Ulusoy, Sorge, Biomarlı, Erdurmuş, and Gülşeker were used as plant material. Five different sweet sorghum cultivars and four different salt (NaCl) concentrations (0-, 100-, 200-, and 300 mM) were the subjects of the laboratory experiments which was set up in randomized plots in a factorial design with 4 replications. In the study, germination parameters such as germination percentage (GP), mean germination time (MGT), germination index (GI), coefficient of uniformity of germination (CUG) and germination speed (GS), and seedling growth parameters such as root and shoot fresh weight, root and shoot dry weight, root and shoot length, lateral root number and lateral root length were investigated. As a result of the research, it was determined that the germination and seedling growth parameters (excluding MGT) decreased as salt concentration increased. This decrease in germination characteristics was significant at 100 mM salt dose according to the average values of the cultivars, and it was observed that the cultivars were more sensitive to salt stress in the seedling development stage than the germination stage. In the study, it was determined that there were significant differences between sweet sorghum genotypes under salt-stressed conditions during germination and seedling stages. In this sense, Ulusoy and Erdurmuş sweet sorghum cultivars were prominent in terms of salt tolerance. It is important to use salt tolerant cultivars considering the genotypic differences in sweet sorghum cultivation in salt-affected areas.