Evaluation of salt tolerance of Panicum miliaceum L. collection at the germination stage in conditions of induced sodium chloride salinization

Present work evaluates the salt tolerance of 29 domestic and foreign samples of millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) for identification of valuable genotypes for further use in the breeding programs. The study aimed to estimate the salt tolerance by screening the collection of millet samples at the germination stage of ontogenesis based on the changes of morphometric indicators for forecasting the reaction of genotypes to salinization. The salt stress inhibited the growth of sprouts and roots of millet samples. Unequal effect of salt stress onto the length of sprouts and roots of seedlings was noted. The samples Aktyu-binskoye kormovoye, K-9681, Shortandinskoye-10, and Yarkoye-7 demonstrated an insignificant decrease of sprouts length in comparison with the control. The cultivar Saratovskoye-6 (standard) showed about a 50% decrease of sprouts length at 75 and 100 mm of NaCl, and to 70% decrease at 150 mm of NaCl. At all salinity concentrations, the smallest length of germinal roots of 7-day seedlings was noted at samples Yarkoye-5 and Pavlodarskoye and the greatest length of sprouts at samples K-9681, Yarkoye-5, Pavlodarskoye, Shortandinskoye-10 and Aktyubinskoye kormovoye.