Screening of Mutant Rice (Oryza sativa L.) at the Germination Stage under High Salinity Condition

The development of saline-tolerant rice varieties is one of the solutions for sustainable agriculture in marginal land in Indonesia. Therefore, it is necessary to study the screening method under saline conditions in the initial plant development period, such as the seed germination stage. In this study, we obtained the data on screening rice mutants under high salinity conditions. Five mutant rice varieties were used: Atomita 4, Atomita 3, Atomita 2, Atomita 1, and Sidenuk, combined with a salt-tolerant (Pokkali) and a salt-sensitive (IR 29) variety. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used with three replicates. During the screening method, Petri dishes contain a NaCl solution with an electrical conductivity (EC) of 12 dS/cm and a pH of 6.0 for 20 days. The solution was replaced every four days. The dependent variables included percentages of seedling growth, number of roots and leaves, root and shoot length, fresh and dry weight. The results showed that Pokkali, Atomita 2, Atomita 3, and Sidenuk had a higher percentage of seedling growth. Three mutant rice varieties (Atomita 3, Sidenuk, and Atomita 2) exhibited shoot lengths of 9.80 cm, 9.50 cm, and 9.20 cm, respectively, higher than the others. Meanwhile, Atomita 1, Sidenuk, and Atomita 4 demonstrated a longer root of 4.4 cm, 4.5 cm, and 4.9 cm, respectively. Similar to Pokkali, Sidenuk exhibited the highest dry weight (0.0197 g ± 0.0006), showing a significant difference from the other mutant varieties.