SCREENING OF MAIZE GENOTYPES AGAINST POOR QUALITY WATER IN SOLUTION CULTURE.

An experiment was conducted in solution culture to understand the response of dissimilar maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes against salinity in green house at Saline Agriculture Research Centre, Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Maize plants at two leaf phase were transplanted at three different levels of water salinity [(T1 (Control) T2 [EC 2.0 dS m-1, SAR 15.0 (mmol L-1)1/2 and RSC 2.25 mmolcL-1] andT3 [EC 4.0 dS m-1, SAR 25.0 (mmol L-1)1/2, RSC 5.0 mmolc L-1 ]. The mixtures of four salts (NaHCO3, Na2SO4, CaCl2.2H2O and MgSO4.7H2O) were used to formulate saline water levels through quadratic equation. Half strength Hoagland's nutrient solution was applied for nourishment throughout experiment. After 30 days of salinity evolution, maize plants were harvested and data for shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, shoot dry weight root dry weight, shoot length and root length were recorded. From leaf juice Na+ and K+ contents were resolute and K+: Na+ proportion was calculated. All the growing components of maize varieties were significantly abridged owing to salinity effects and genotypic dissimilarity for salt lenience was also noticed between the maize varieties. The genotypes Sahiwal-2002 and Afgoi were classified as salt lenient genotype as these produced the highest shoot biomass (21.6 g and 17.3g) and retained higher K+: Na+(0.90 and 0.67) ratio, however Sadaf, FH-963 and FH-722 were categorized as salt sensitive genotypes and produced the least shoot weight (8.8 g, 7.7g and 7.9g) and could retain the lowest K+: Na+(0.34, 0.19 and 0.21) proportions under salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]