Effect of salt stress on germination and seedling growth in the different wheat (Triticum spp.) species

Salinity is one of the most detrimental abiotic stresses limiting wheat productivity globally, particularly during early growth stages. In this study, six wheat species (Triticum dicoccoides, T. boeticum, T. dicoccum, T. aestivum, T. monococcum, and T. durum) were subjected to five different salt concentrations (0, 8, 16, 24, and 32 µS/cm NaCl) under controlled in vitro conditions at 24 ± 2 °C and 16/8 h photoperiod to assess their germination and seedling development responses. A completely randomized factorial design with four replications was employed. Germination percentage, root length, and shoot length were measured on 8th and 21st days, respectively. Increasing salinity significantly reduced all measured traits. Notably, T. dicoccum showed the highest salt tolerance with 72% germination, 14.4 cm root length, and 22.6 cm shoot length at 8 µS/cm, while T. monococcum was the most sensitive. These findings indicate that ancient wheat species, particularly T. dicoccum, possess valuable traits for developing salt-tolerant cultivars