Effect of NaCl salinity and incubation temperature on the germination of two cultivars of pearl millet

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Pearl millet (Pennisetum spicatum) is one of the most important food crops cultivated in many areas in Saudi Arabia at various temperatures and high salinity stress. The objective of this study was to study the effect of different levels of salinity (0, 50, 100, 200, 300 mM NaCl), and different incubation temperatures (20, 30, 40°C) on seed germination of two pearl millet cultivars. The results indicate that seed germination percentages of the two cultivars were significantly reduced on the application of the highest concentration of NaCl at all tested temperatures, while 50 and 100 mM NaCl did not affect significantly the percentage of seed germination when the seeds were incubated at 20, 30 and 40°C. At 40°C, the 300 mM NaCl caused 70% and 42% reduction in seed germination in the case of Jaizan and Khulais cultivars, respectively. The study reveals that seeds of Jaizan pearl millet showed less resistance to salinity than seeds of Khulais cultivars. The sensitivity of both cultivars to salinity increased with increasing in temperature.

Pearl millet; Pennisetum spicatum; salinity stress; temperature stress; seed germination