Assessment of Genotype Stress Tolerance as an Effective Way to Sustain Wheat Production under Salinity Stress Conditions

Abstract

The creation of salt-tolerant wheat genotypes can provide a basis for sustainable wheat production in areas that are particularly sensitive to the impacts of climate change on soil salinity. This study aimed to select salt-tolerant wheat genotypes that could serve as a genetic resource in breeding for salinity tolerance. A two-year experiment was established with 27 wheat genotypes, grown in salinity stress and non-stress conditions. Agronomic parameters (plant height, spike weight, number of grains per spike, thousand grain weight, and grain yield/plant) were analyzed in the phenophase of full maturity, while biochemical parameters (DPPH radical scavenging activity and total phenolic content) were tested in four phenophases. Grain yield/plant was the most sensitive parameter to salinity, with a 31.5% reduction in value. Selection based on salt tolerance indices (STI, MP, and GMP) favored the selection of the genotypes Renesansa, Harmonija, Orašanka, Bankut 1205, KG-58, and Jugoslavija. Based on YI (1.30) and stability analysis, the genotype Harmonija stands out as the most desirable genotype for cultivation in saline conditions. The presence of positive correlations between grain yield/plant and biochemical parameters, in all phenophases, enables the selection of genotypes with high antioxidant activity and high yield potential, even in the early stages of plant development.

Phenotypic Variability of Wheat and Environmental Share in Soil Salinity Stress [3S] Conditions

“…Dimitrijević, et al [47], Knežević, et al [16], Knežević, et al [17], and Matković Stojšin, et al [48], found a high share of the environment in the variation of grain mass per ear. Similar results were obtained by Matković Stojšin, et al [42], for ear mass.…”

“…Based on the outcome of these studies, several approaches are being followed, to enhance plants' ability to tolerate salt stress while still maintaining reasonable levels of crop yields [40,41]. This research indicates the importance of studying the correlations between yield components and wheat grain yield in 3S, which is in accordance with Matković Stojšin, et al [42].…”

“…Testing genotypes under abiotic stress is critical, because it allows researchers to analyze their first response to a particular situation, i.e., to primary stress [49]. Assessment of a genotype's tolerance to abiotic stress, in situ, is of great importance for forming a realistic picture because, in addition to 3S, all other abiotic factors also affect the plant [42,[50][51][52].…”

Ability of Different Growth Indicators to Detect Salt Tolerance of Advanced Spring Wheat Lines Grown in Real Field Conditions

“…These changes include inhibiting cell division and elongation, accelerating cell death and leaf senescence, increasing leaf degradation, reducing leaf growth, inhibiting photosystem II (PSII) activity, decreasing stomatal conductance, destroying photosynthetic pigments, reducing carbohydrate supply to young leaves and grains, limiting photosynthetic rate, biomass accumulation, and source-sink activity, and altering plant water status [ 3 , 11 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. In the end, all of the aforementioned negative effects of salinity stress have a detrimental impact on the various agro-morphological traits of wheat plants [ 15 , 24 , 28 , 29 ]. Thus, different agro-morphological traits related to salt tolerance can be used as screening criteria to improve the adaptation of wheat genotypes to salinity stress.…”

“…Despite the research community's great efforts to enhance the salinity tolerance of wheat genotypes, the number of salt-tolerant genotypes worldwide remains very limited. Based on published studies, the reasons behind this include (1) the salt tolerance of genotypes is usually assessed under tightly controlled conditions with few experiments carried out under real environmental conditions [3,8,14]; (2) the salt tolerance of genotypes is usually assessed based on one or two developmental growth stages, particularly the early ones (germination and seedling), despite the fact that the ranking of genotypes for their salt tolerance often varies across different growth stages [15]; (3) evaluating the salt tolerance of genotypes often requires finding suitable screening criteria and accurate evaluation methods that have the potential to make the assessment of salt tolerance among different genotypes more precise and efficient, particularly across multiple traits [16][17][18]; (4) the lack of specific indicators that accurately reflect both the physiological and agronomic behavior of genotypes [3,19]; and (5) the use of different growth indicators (GIs) as screening criteria is not common. These GIs can provide insight into the strong correlation between physiological tolerance and agronomic traits, as well as the close relationship between source and sink organs.…”