Abstract
Abstract Identification of crop germplasm tolerant to relatively high levels of salinity will allow more extensive use of lands characterized as marginal due to salt accumulation. Two experiments were conducted to identify and evaluate germination salt tolerance in various alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars, breeding lines, introductions, and germplasms (populations). In the first experiment, 229 alfalfa populations from North Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the United States were germinated in sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions with concentrations of 0, 44, 88, 132, or 176 mM (10 mM = 640 mgL−1 = 0.1 Sm−1 = 1.0 mmhos cm−1) at 25°C. When expressed as a proportion of the no‐salt control, significant germination differences were observed in the 229 populations. Twenty‐nine populations that exhibited the highest germination at 176 mM in the first experiment were retested in NaCl concentrations of 0, 44, 88, 132, 176, 220, 264, 308, or 352 mM. The 29 populations differed noticeably when treated with NaCl concentrations. Speed of germination, leaf number, lateral root number, and seedling height all decreased significantly as salt concentrations increased. There were no significant differences in germination percentages between 0 and 44 or between 132 and 176 mM, but there were significant differences between all other consecutive treatment levels. Germination percentages significantly decreased when NaCl concentrations exceeded 220 mM. Germination was inhibited in most populations at 352 mM (352 mM = 2% NaCl). Our research clearly demonstrates that genetic diversity for salt tolerance exists among alfalfa populations during germination. These populations, when combined with salt‐tolerant Rhizobium, should provide potential nitrogen‐fixing symbionts that can be used on moderately saline soils.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Significant germination differences were observed among 229 alfalfa populations in NaCl solutions.
- Taxon
- alfalfa
Medicago sativat0 - Material
- 229 populationse0
- Outcome
- germination differencese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“alfalfa”
e0“significant germination differences were observed in the 229 populations”
Claim · model-written summary
The 29 retested populations differed noticeably when treated with NaCl concentrations.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Material
- 29 populationse0
- Outcome
- differed noticeablye0
- Qualifier
- NaCl concentrationse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“alfalfa”
e0“The 29 populations differed noticeably when treated with NaCl concentrations”
Claim · model-written summary
Speed of germination decreased significantly as salt concentrations increased.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- salt concentrationse0
- Outcome
- Speed of germinatione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“alfalfa”
e0“Speed of germination, leaf number, lateral root number, and seedling height all decreased significantly as salt concentrations increased”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf number, lateral root number, and seedling height decreased significantly as salt concentrations increased.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- salt concentrationse0
- Outcome
- leaf number, lateral root number, and seedling heighte0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“alfalfa”
e0“Speed of germination, leaf number, lateral root number, and seedling height all decreased significantly as salt concentrations increased”
Claim · model-written summary
There were no significant differences in germination percentages between 0 and 44 or between 132 and 176 mM NaCl.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Outcome
- germination percentagese0
- Qualifier
- between 0 and 44 or between 132 and 176 mMe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“alfalfa”
e0“There were no significant differences in germination percentages between 0 and 44 or between 132 and 176 mM, but there were significant differences between all other consecutive treatment levels”
Claim · model-written summary
Germination percentages differed significantly between all other consecutive NaCl treatment levels.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Outcome
- germination percentagese0
- Qualifier
- between all other consecutive treatment levelse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“alfalfa”
e0“There were no significant differences in germination percentages between 0 and 44 or between 132 and 176 mM, but there were significant differences between all other consecutive treatment levels”
Claim · model-written summary
Germination percentages decreased significantly when NaCl concentrations exceeded 220 mM.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- NaCl concentrations exceeded 220 mMe0
- Outcome
- Germination percentagese0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“alfalfa”
e0“Germination percentages significantly decreased when NaCl concentrations exceeded 220 mM”
Claim · model-written summary
Germination was inhibited in most populations at 352 mM NaCl.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- 352 mMe0
- Outcome
- Germinatione0
- Direction
- inhibitede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“alfalfa”
e0“Germination was inhibited in most populations at 352 mM”
Claim · model-written summary
Genetic diversity for salt tolerance exists among alfalfa populations during germination.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Outcome
- genetic diversity for salt tolerancee0
- Qualifier
- during germinatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“genetic diversity for salt tolerance exists among alfalfa populations during germination”
The same questions in other papers
sodium chloride · growth · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)Results differ
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See all 95 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.