Sodium and potassium ions uptake in relation to their salt tolerance at seedling stage in two cultivars of berseem under salinity

The two selected cultivars Wardan (moderately tolerant-MT) and BL-10 (moderately sensitive-MS) of berseem (Trifolium alexandrium L.) were evaluated for the uptake of sodium and potassium ions in relation to their salt tolerance at seedling stage under different salinity levels. The samples were placed randomly at 5, 10 and 15 days after sowing the seeds in Petri dishes. The experiment was conducted in triplicate of Petri dishes. The saline solutions were prepared by mixing the different salts. Control sets were moistened with distilled water. It is clear from the findings that sodium ion concentrations significantly increased with increasing salinity levels from 4 to 20 dSm⁻¹ as well as with durations (at 5, 10 and 15 days) in root and shoot of both cultivars. Potassium ion concentrations decreased with increasing salinity levels or EC levels but increased with durations in root and shoot of Wardan and BL-10 cultivars. The Content of Na⁺ and K ions was significantly higher in Wardan cultivar as compared to BL-10 cultivar.