The study of salinity tolerance in cumin ecotypes at germination stage

Due to the increasing of saline lands and the lack of suitable lands for agriculture, the identification of tolerant medicinal plants to salinity is very important. In this research were studied the seeds laboratory characteristics of different ecotypes of cumin in the Research Laboratory of Birjand University under salt stress and normal conditions in 2014. The experiment was carried out as a factorial in a completely randomized design with two factors and three replications. Factor A included 10 ecotypes (Sabzevar, Khousf, Quchan, Sarayan, Kashmar, Gonabad, Zirkooh, Esfarayen, Tabas and Torbate Jam) and factor B included five levels of salinity of NaCl (One, three, five, seven and nine ds/m). Analysis of variance showed that different ecotypes had significant differences at the 1% level in all traits, except seedling dry weight, and radicle/shoot length ratio. In general, most of traits decreased with increasing salinity levels. Ecotype × stresses interactions comparisons showed that the Kashmar and Ghoochan ecotypes at three dS/m and Esfarayen and Gonabad ecotypes at one and five dS/ m had highest and lowest amount of measured traits, respectively. Cluster analysis at 1 and 9 ds/m levels grouped ecotypes into three major groups. Group 1 (Kashmar, Zirkooh, Sarayan, Torbate Jam, Tabas, Gonabad and Sabzevar) and group 3 (Khousf and Sabzevar) had maximum resistance to salinity stress at 1 ds/m and 9 ds/m levels, respectively. At 3 ds/m level, ecotypes were classified in four group, in which the group 3 (Sabzevar, Kashmar and Gonabad) had maximum resistance. At 5 and 7 ds/m levels were recognized four main groups of ecotypes and in both level, group 4 (Sabzevar) had maximum resistance. In general, ecotype Sabzevar had the highest resistance at all levels of salinity.