Identification of Salt Resistant Barley Lines from Crosses Involving Unselected Parents

Five intervarietal crosses of barley (Hordeum vulgareh.) were subjected to bulk-pedigree selection (F₃—F₅) under sodic soil (pH₂ 9.2 to 9.4; ESP 25—40; ECe 1.8—2.2 mmhos/cm followed by selection of highest yielding single plants in F₆ and F₇ generations. The progenies derived from these crosses showed differences among crosses for the number of lines that excelled the best check under sodic soil as well as those that outyielded the best check under good soil. The differences for the number and tolerance limit of lines obtained from the crosses are attributed to the release of fresh genetic variability for yield and sodicity resistance due to exposure of early generations egregating prc£cnies to sodic soil environment, coupled with a recombination process, probably attended by complementary gene effects, leading to manifestation of yield with sodicity resistance in certain derivatives in contrast to yield or resistance alone in certain other derivatives. It was concluded that i) the success of natural and artificial selection for yield under stress may result from improvement in genes for yield per se, or for tolerance to stress or both and that ii) employment of a stress environment in early generation for yield need not curtail the expression of yield genes for non-stress environment.