Abstract

GONZALEZ-ROMERO, Sara Lucía et al. Germination and growth of alfalfa under saline conditions. Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc [online]. 2011, vol.2, n.1, pp.169-174. ISSN 2007-0934.

In Mexico, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is used for feeding cattle and has been studied for responses to salt stress in the germination phase; however, only NaCl or mannitol and polyethylene glycols have been used in different levels. Due to this, the aims of this research were to study the response of alfalfa in the germination stage to the salinity of the arid and semiarid areas in Mexico, and to evaluate its effect on the growth of the radicle and aerial section. In order to achieve this, in the salinity lab of the Colegio de Postgraduados en Ciencias Agrícolas during 2009, the seeds underwent germination tests in a factorial design of 11 saline solutions at eight doses (0, 2, 4, 8, 11.7, 15, 19 and 28 dS m^-1) and three repetitions. It has been observed that salts NaHCO₃ and sodium sulfate had a greater influence on the germination. The salt that had the greatest effect on the radicle growth was NaHCO₃ and sulfate salinity, whereas CaCl₂ 2H₂O and sulfate-hydrochloric salts enhanced growth. The growth of the aerial section was more affected than the growth of the radicle. The combination of salts had a positive effect on the germination percentage, the growth of the radicle and aerial section.

Keywords : Medicago sativa L.; radicle; radicle growth; salinity.

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