RESEARCH ON SOME PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN FOUR MAIZE CULTIVARS AT GERMINATING AND SEEDLING STAGE

Abstract

Salt stress strongly affects on plant growth and development, especially maize plant. In this study, the salt stress tolerance of four maize cultivars LVN17, LVN146, LVN146 and LVN885 were compared through some physiological characters. The experiment was conducted at germinating and seedling stage. In the experiment of germinating stage, seeds were placed to germinate within a folded paper towel soaked with appropriate treatment solution, the NaCl concentrations used are 100, 150, 200 and 250 (mM). In the experiment of seedling stage, seedlings were grown in Knop solution and supplemented with NaCl until 10 and 15 days, the NaCl concentrations are 50, 75, 100 (mM). The results indicate the decrease of seed germination rate, growth of sprouts, total chlorophyll content in leave, dry mass of three-leave seedling  after 10, 15 days growing in NaCl solution. The two cultivars LVN092 and LVN885 are adaptive to salt stress better than the others.