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Cultivar options for salinity tolerance in sorghum

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/2258/
 
Title Cultivar options for salinity tolerance in sorghum
 
Creator Reddy, B V S
Ashok Kumar, A
Reddy, P S
Ibrahim, M
Ramaiah, B
Dakheel, A J
Ramesh, S
Krishnamurthy, L
 
Subject Sorghum
 
Description Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is the fifth most important
cereal crop of the world and is a major source of food,
feed and fodder in the semi-arid tropics (SAT). It is the
third most important staple food crop after rice (Oryza
sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) for millions of
people in India. The grain molds, shoot fly and prolonged
dry spells are main reasons for low productivity in India.
Of all the soil mineral stresses or chemical toxicities,
acidity, and associated Al3+ toxicity and salinity are
probably the most important constraints to sorghum
productivity in tropical environments. Saline and sodic
soils cause mineral stresses on approximately 0.9 billion
ha of land (Gourley et al. 1997). In addition, the problematic
soils that include saline soils which constitute 15%
(approx.) of total cultivable area in India, reduce crop
productivity leading to food insecurity and rendering
crop production non-remunerative. The increased
demand for sorghum, especially for feed uses in SAT
regions (Kleih et al. 2000) imposes extension of sorghum
cultivation in saline soils. Soils with an ECe of 16 dS
m-1 are highly saline (www.cahe.nmsu.edu). Development
of cultivars tolerant to soil salinity along with appropriate
management practices is required for enhanced
production under saline conditions (Ramesh et al. 2005).
Salinity causes reduction in germination (Igartua et al.
1994), growth (Maiti et al. 1994) and yields of sorghum
(Macharia et al. 1994) and modifies the physiological
and biochemical processes of the plant (Dubey 1994).
Salinity causes more serious damage in the seedling
emergence stage than in any other stage in sorghum
(Macharia et al. 1994). Though sorghum is known to be
relatively more tolerant to soil salinity than maize (Zea
mays) (Igartua et al. 1994, Krishnamurthy et al. 2007),
genetic enhancement of sorghum for salinity tolerance
would further increase sorghum productivity in such
soils.
 
Publisher International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
 
Date 2010
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Rights —
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/2258/1/JSATAgriRes8_BCI-SMC_Cultivar5pp_2010.pdf
Reddy, B V S and Ashok Kumar, A and Reddy, P S and Ibrahim, M and Ramaiah, B and Dakheel, A J and Ramesh, S and Krishnamurthy, L (2010) Cultivar options for salinity tolerance in sorghum. Journal of SAT Agricultural Research, 8. pp. 1-5.