Salt Tolerance in Cultivars of Grain Sorghum

Abstract

Forty‐eight cultivars of grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, were germinated and grown for two weeks in a hydroponic salt system to screen for salt tolerance. Seedlings were grown at 3,000, 5,000, and 7,000 ppm salt. Fresh weight, as a percentage of the control, was used as a measure of growth. Growth decreased sharply with increased salt concentrations. Cultivars differed significantly at the 1% level. If these differences prove to be heritable, progress might be significant toward the development of salt‐tolerant lines through a judicious breeding program.