Morphological and Physiological Variations Associated with Reproductive and Vegetative Salinity Tolerance in Sorghum

Emmelia Braun*, Jennifer S. Hawkins, and Melissa Lehrer

Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Presentation Category: Biological & Biochemical Sciences (Poster Presentation #98)

Student’s Major: Biology

Salinity stress is one of the most severe limitations on crop yield. To ensure the availability of quality grain-based products, it is imperative to identify genotypes of crop species that maintain grain yield under saline conditions. In this work, Sorghum will be used as a model to assess the relationship between vegetative and reproductive tolerance under salinity stress. The germplasm of twenty-five genotypes was analyzed to evaluate the responses to salinity stress associated with domestication. Seed color, seed diameter (mm), and seed weight (mg) were measured and compared to known tolerance data to identify patterns between seed characteristics and response to salinity stress. Further, the effects of salinity stress on both reproductive and vegetative plant tissues will be studied by exposing replicates of each genotype to control (tap water) or salt (75mM NaCl) water until resulting grain matures. Vegetative measurements will include alive and dead aboveground biomass (g), plant height (cm), growth rate (cm/day), chlorophyll content (SPAD, nmol/cm), and leaf temperature (°C); reproductive measurements will include seed color, seed weight (mg), seed diameter (mm), flowering time (days), and grain yield (mg). It is hypothesized that vegetatively tolerant accessions will also maintain reproductive traits, producing control-quality quantities of grain compared to sensitive genotypes. This research will identify genotypes with greater vegetative and reproductive tolerance in saline conditions that can grow on marginal lands and/or using saline water, increasing food availability and affordability.

Funding: Henry W. Hurlbutt Memorial Fund

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: Biology 486 capstone