Assessment of salt tolerance in the cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) variety “Baraka” at the seedling stage
Annotatsiya
This study investigates the salt stress tolerance of the Uzbek cotton variety Gossypium hirsutum L. “Baraka”, addressing the limited understanding of salinity responses in local cultivars. Seedlings were exposed to NaCl (sodium chloride) solutions at 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM for 21 days and fresh weight, shoot length, root length and total plant length were measured. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) with post-Bonferroni and Tukey tests. Significant differences were observed in seedling responses across salt concentrations. A comparative evaluation of germination-stage tolerance revealed that seedlings treated with 100 mM NaCl exhibited higher fresh weight and shoot length compared to other groups, indicating moderate salt tolerance at this concentration. For total length, seedlings grown under 150 mM NaCl showed greater resistance relative to other treatments. Growth inhibition followed a concentration-dependent pattern: fresh weight declined to 51 % of control at 200 mM, shoot length to 64.6 % and total length to 78.6 %. Root length displayed a nonlinear response, increasing up to 108.3 % at 100 mM before declining at higher concentrations. The experimental results confirmed the inhibitory effects of salt on key morphological parameters. However, the “Baraka” variety demonstrated tolerance under low-to-moderate salinity, particularly at 100-150 mM NaCl. These findings provide valuable insights for breeding programs targeting salt-tolerant cotton varieties in Uzbekistan’s saline agroecosystems.