Effect of salinity on the germination of wheat and barley in South Africa

AbstractField crops are most susceptible to salt stress in the early stages of growth. There is a general belief that barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is more salt‐tolerant than wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), yet little is known regarding the response of different South African wheat and barley cultivars to saline conditions. An experiment was conducted to study the effects of salinity on seed germination in three South African spring wheat cultivars (SST 027, SST 056, and SST 087) and three spring barley cultivars (Nemesia, Erica, and Hessekwa). The experiment was conducted in petri dishes in a growth incubator at a constant temperature of 20 °C for 7 d. Seeds were exposed to five NaCl solutions with electrical conductivity (EC) levels of 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 dS m−1 and were compared with those exposed to a solution with an EC of 0 dS m−1 (distilled water), which served as a control. The experiment design was a completely randomized design. The study showed that salinity influenced seed germination in all wheat and barley cultivars. Although all cultivars showed a reduction in total germination percentage with increasing salinity from EC levels of 0 to 20 dS m−1, the differences were only significant (P < .05) at high EC levels (16–20 dS m−1). Wheat cultivars outperformed barley cultivars at EC levels of 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 dS m−1. The study showed that salinity influenced seed germination in both wheat and barley, but barley was less salt‐tolerant during germination than wheat.