Performance of a Potentially Salt-Tolerant Wheat Cultivar under Non-Steady State Soil Salinity.

Abstract

Farming in arid regions is completely dependent on irrigation water which normally carries high contents of salts in contrast to rain water. Although some of the ions which contribute to soil salinity may be indigenous in the soil, many are brought to soils in the irrigation water. Poor drainage and high evaporation eventually accelerate salt accumulation. Varietal response to salinity can play a key role in maintaining farming in arid regions using low quality irrigation waters. In the Central Region of Saudi Arabia, most farming soils are highly calcareous and considered saline or subjected to high salinity upon irrigation from sources with high content of salts. Therefore, it was found important to study the tolerance of some selected wheat and triticale cultivars to stress conditions induced by high salinity and limited soil moisture content.