Screening of landraces of rice under cultivation in kumaun himalaya for salinity stress during germination and early seedling growth

Thirty landraces of rice (Oryza sativa L.) along with an introduced variety VL-206 were screened for seed germination and seedling growth under salinity stress (0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 M NaCl). Among the landraces, Saunji showed maximum germination (90%) even at the highest salinity level (0.20 M NaCl) and was considered most tolerant to salinity stress. The maximum reduction in seed germination was found in Syaudhan (36%) when exposed to 0.20 M NaCl. Early seedling growth in different landraces varied with the salinity level. Increasing the NaCl concentration from 0.10 M to 0.20 M led to a significant reduction in root and seedling (shoot) growth, irrespective of the landrace in comparison to control. The results revealed that a valuable source of rice germplasm, in the form of landraces, is still being maintained through cultivation in remotely located villages in Kumaun region of Indian Central Himalaya, which may be useful for introgression of salinity resistant genes for the development of stress tolerant varieties.