Genotypic Variability in Wheat Response to Sodicity: Evaluating Growth and Ion Accumulation in the Root and Shoot

Soil sodicity is a major constraint to seedling emergence and crop production, potentially reducing plant growth due to physical and chemical constraints. Studying responses to ion imbalances may help identify genotypes tolerant to chemical constraints in sodic soils, thereby improving productivity. We evaluated the performance of four wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes in solutions with five sodium adsorption ratios (SARs) ranging from 0 to 60. For all four genotypes, seedling emergence and shoot dry matter (DM) decreased significantly with increasing SARs. A significant positive correlation was observed between Ca concentration in roots as well as both root and shoot DM for all genotypes. At SAR values > 20, the more tolerant genotype (EGA Gregory) displayed higher Ca concentrations in root tissues, whereas the more sensitive genotype (Baxter) exhibited Na-induced Ca deficiency. Thus, the selection of genotypes that are able to accumulate Ca in roots in sodic conditions may be a useful trait for selecting genotypes tolerant of soils with high ESP values. However, for soils that restrict plant growth at ESP (SAR) values of 6–10%, it is likely that growth is restricted by physical constraints rather than by a Na-induced Ca deficiency.

WheatVIVO