Abstract:
Soil salinity especially in coastal area after tsunami disaster is a major factor that reduces the germination,
plant vigour and yield of agricultural crops. Rice is one of the most sensitive crops to salinity and the
effects of salinity vary in different growth stages. The knowledge of the effects of salt stress on plants at
the early stage is necessary to improve crop production under saline environment. Therefore this study
was carried out to determine the salt tolerance of nine indica rice varieties at germination stage using a
simple laboratory technique. The response of nine rice verities (At 362, At 354, At 308; Bw351, Bw361,
Bw364; Bg 379/2, Bg 358, Bg 359) against five salinity (0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 dS m-1) levels was tested.
Twenty seeds from each cultivar in each treatment with four replicates were allowed to germinate on a
sterilized filter paper moistened with salt solutions on sterilized petri plates, arranged in completely
randomized design (CRD). The results revealed that the germination percentages were inversely related
to level of salt concentration. The salinity level 16 dS m-1 shows complete impairment of germination in all
varieties tested. The rice varieties, At 308, At 362, At 354, Bw 351, Bg 379/2 and Bg 358 can tolerate
salinity up to 12dS m-1 with varying degree of germination percentages. In general, 'At' cultivars
withstand salinity than 'Bw' and 'Bg' and the results conclude that At 354 is the best variety for saline
environment.
