Studies on salt tolerance of pigeon pea cultivars 1. Germination, seedling growth and some physiological changes

Twelve germplasm cultivars of pigeon pea were screened for their tolerance to salinity during germination and early seedling growth. Germination, seedling growth and studies on proteins, nucleic acids (RNA and DNA) and free proline accumulation indicated that the cultivars ICP 7035 and 7065 showed high degree of tolerance to 0·4% salinity. These two tolerant cultivars showed lowered derangements in their metabolism and thus showed higher levels of proteins, nucleic acids and free proline than the other cultivars studied, indicating their adaptability to 0·4% salinity.