Effect of salinity on physiological and biochemical changes of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seed during germination

Wheat is a major cereal crop of India and its productivity is highly effected in many region of country due to various factors including soil salinity. Effect of various concentrations of NaCl starting from 0.1% to 2.0% was studied on wheat seed germination in laboratory condition. Various physiological parameters of seedling growth like root length, shoot length, fresh weight, dry weight and chlorophyll content of leaf were recorded after 120 hr. of germination in each treatments and control. Biochemical parameters were also recorded in the form of metabolites content like sugar, protein, total amino acids, proline, and amylase enzyme activity were also recorded after 120 hr. of germination in control and saline condition. At the low salinity level germination and seedling length were not affected at all but as salinity increases the seed germination and seedling growth is highly inhibited. Metabolites contents and enzyme activity gradually decreases as the salinity increases, where as the proline content increased along with increasing salinity.