Effects of NaCl stress on seed germination and early seedling growth of Castor bean (Ricinus communis  L.)

Nidhi Rajput; Ashok Kumar; A.K. Chaudhry

Volume : IV, Issue : XI, November - 2015

Effects of NaCl stress on seed germination and early seedling growth of Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.)

Nidhi Rajput, Ashok Kumar, A. K. Chaudhry

Abstract :

The castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is an oilseed that produces excellent oil, it qualifies as important crop for energetic security. Salinity is one of the most environmental factors that affects different development stages of plants, especially germination stage. The objective of the research was to characterize the deleterious effects of salinity on seed germination and seedling growth of castor bean. The present study shows the effects of NaCl stress on seed germination and seedling growth of four castor bean cultivars (DSP–222, DSP– 555, GCH–4 and GCH–7) at different levels. For this purpose, seeds of castor were grown in sand culture and treated with aqueous solutions of different salinities which were prepared by dissolving the salt of NaCl. (25, 50 and 75mM) and distilled water was used as a control. Traits such as germination percentage, length of shoot and root, fresh and dry weight of seedling and seedling vigour index (SVI) were evaluated. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that NaCl stress had significant effects on germination percentage, shoot length, root length, fresh and dry weight of seedling at different salinity levels. It is evident from the experiment that cv. DSP 555 showed higher germination % and seedling growth at all salinity levels as compared to control.