EFFECTS OF SALT ON SEED GERMINATION OF CHICK PEA (Cicerarietinum L)

Abstract

Salinity stress negatively affects seed germination and growth of different crops. There are reasonably adequate information on the effects of salinity on crops germination and emergence. However, scanty information is available on the impacts of salinity on crops biomass production during seedling growth.Thus, a series of one experiments: pot experiment to evaluate the effect of different salt concentration on seed germination percentage and germination rate of chick pea were conducted.the experiments, pot experiments, have five treatments (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4mM of salt concentration) and treatments were laid out in randomized complete design (CRD) with five and three replications respectively. The results revealed that the highest germination percentage and germination rate of 97.00 % and 0.04 seeds per day, respectively were scored from the control treatment. The highest plant height, leaf number, branch number 13.6 cm, 22.4 leaf per plant, 2.8 branchper plant ,respectively were scored from control treatment that was statistically similar with 1mM salt concentration, while the lowest value of these parameters were recorded from pots treated with 4mM of salt concentrations . Therefore, salt content of irrigation water greater than 1mMmight reduce yields of chick pea. However, the results presented here need to be confirmed through on farm research under various soil and agro climatic conditions.