Journal of
Medicinal Plants Research

  • Abbreviation: J. Med. Plants Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1996-0875
  • DOI: 10.5897/JMPR
  • Start Year: 2007
  • Published Articles: 3840

Full Length Research Paper

Salinity tolerance and site of K+ accumulation in four maize varieties grown in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa region of Pakistan

Asad Zia1, Bin Guo2, Ikram Ullah1, Riaz Ahmad3, Mubarak Ali Khan1, Bilal Haider Abbasi1* and Ya-hui Wei2*
1Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan. 2Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Northwest University), Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, North west University, Xi'an710069, China. 3Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Agricultural University Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Pakistan.
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 03 August 2011
  •  Published: 09 November 2011

Abstract

Crops face different types of biotic and abiotic stresses. Among abiotic stresses, salinity is very harmful and adversely affects the yield and production of crops. In Pakistan, maize is the third most important cereal crop after wheat and rice. In this research work, salt stress was applied to four maize varieties. The experiment was conducted in glass house. The effect of salinity on some physiological parameters that is, fresh and dry biomass of whole plant, above ground part and root of maize (Zea mays L.) was observed and the site of plant which accumulates K+ was determined. Five salinity levels of 30, 60, 110, 160 and 240 mmol each for NaCl and KCl were checked. The results showed that NaCl had significant effect on fresh and dry whole plant biomass, above ground biomass and root biomass. KCl had significant effect on whole plant fresh biomass and above ground dry biomass while its effect on above ground, root fresh biomass, whole plant and root dry biomass was insignificant. The combined effect of NaCl and KCl was also insignificant on fresh as well as dry biomass. With increasing salinity however, the cultivar Azam followed by Pop-2006 were the most tolerant to salinity. Contrarily, Pahari and Sarhad white were the least salinity tolerant varieties. Flam photometric analysis indicate that K+ accumulates in roots and above ground biomass (shoot), accumulation is more in the shoot than in the root. Azam and Pahari cultivars accumulated less Kthan Pop-2006 and Sarhad white.

 

Key words: Maize, salinity, stress, Pakistan, biomass.

Abbreviation

CCRI, Cereal Crops Research Institute; RCBD, randomized complete block design.