Morpho-physiological Responses of Finger Millet Genotypes to PEG-Induced Osmotic Stress at an Early Seedling Stage

The present study reports the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) (0–25%) induced osmotic stress on morpho-physiological responses of finger millet Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn] genotypes at an early seedling stage. The significant differences in morpho-physiological responses were observed at 25% PEG over control, 15–20% PEG concentration. At 25% concentration, finger millet genotypes were classified into three groups according to their F values. The first group contains seven sensitive genotypes GE 811, GPU 28, MS 9272, AMM 679, GE 4962, BM and PR 4617, with contribution from germination percentage, germination rate, root length, seed vigor index and tissue water content. The second group contains nine tolerant genotypes AMM 197, GE 4434, GE 496, GE 1013, GE 1332, GE 4764, GPU 67, PR 202, RAU 8 with contribution from fresh weight, dry weight, root: shoot ratio, chl a, chl b, total chlorophyll, and CSI. The third group consists of two semi-sensitive genotypes, PR 6038 and KEP 534 contributed by root length and seedling length. This study provides a rapid and reliable method for screening finger millet genotypes using germination, morpho-physiological parameters, and multivariate analysis to support future breeding programs. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The National Academy of Sciences, India.