Exploring Salinity Tolerance Mechanisms in Diverse Wheat Genotypes Using Physiological, Anatomical, Agronomic and...

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Agronomy
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Salinity is a major abiotic stress limiting global wheat productivity.
• Understanding genotypic responses to salinity is crucial for developing salt-tolerant varieties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the biochemical, physiological, anatomical, gene expression, and agronomic responses of three wheat genotypes to salinity stress.
• To identify wheat genotypes with improved salinity tolerance.

Main Methods:

• Wheat genotypes were subjected to salinity treatments (5000 and 7000 ppm).
• Evaluated parameters included photosynthetic pigments, proline content, Na+ ions, antioxidant enzyme activities, anatomical features, gene expression (H+ATPase, NHX2 HAK, HKT), and agronomic traits.

Main Results:

• Salinity reduced photosynthetic pigments, anatomical measurements, and agronomic traits in all genotypes.
• Proline content, Na+ ions, and antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, POX, PPO) increased with salinity.
• The Ismailia line showed superior performance in photosynthetic pigments, enzyme activities, anatomical traits, gene expression, and agronomic characteristics.

Conclusions:

• The Ismailia line exhibited significant salinity tolerance due to positive physiological, anatomical, and molecular adaptations.
• Genotypic variation is substantial, offering potential for breeding salt-tolerant wheat varieties.