Germination and emergence salt tolerance of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) as influenced by seed quality and generations.

Abstract

Artificially aged and non-aged seeds of 22 grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) F₁ hybrids and their F₂ and F₃ generations were evaluated for germination salt tolerance. Six of the hybrids, along with their F₂ and F₃ generations, were tested for emergence salt tolerance. Effects of seed production environments on germination salt tolerance were also studied using F₂ generations of 12 sorghum hybrids produced under full-season irrigation, limited irrigation, and double-cropping conditions. Germination tests were conducted in a growth chamber, on trays, while the emergence test was conducted in a greenhouse in flats filled with sand. The experiments were conducted under non-saline and saline conditions in randomized complete block designs. Artificial seed aging resulted in significant reductions in germination percentages under both non-saline and saline environments. The overall mean reduction in germination caused by seed aging was more than twice as much under salinity stress as under the non-stress conditions (48 vs. 17%), indicating differential effects of salinity on different quality seeds. Entries that appeared to be resistant to seed aging also had higher germination percentages under salinity stress. Seed production environment influenced germination performance in both non-saline and saline environments. The overall mean germination percentages of sorghum seeds produced under three different field environments were significantly different from one another. Significant differences were observed in germination and emergence percentages within F₁, F₂, and F₃ generations. Except for the F₁ entries, however, emergence index differences within the F₂ and F₃ generations were not significant. Correlations between germination and emergence percentages in the non-saline and saline treatments were generally nonsignificant. This suggests that germination and emergence responses of sorghum may vary under different salinity levels and different environments.